John 14:13-14

Green car description - it was a lemon - I met someone who had the same car.

Not all things are created equal, even if they look the same.

The same is true with Christian teaching. Not all of it is created equal. And I’m not talking about skill in delivery or charisma on stage. I’m talking about the content of some teachings that are given in the name of Jesus.

There is a type of Christianity that teaches, what we call, a prosperity gospel. It’s a teaching that says if you have enough faith, then God wants you to be wealthy. And I don’t mean, “enough to live on in 21st century Canada” kind of wealthy, which is more than 99% of the rest of the world. No, they are talking about the 1% extreme wealth, the kind that buys gulfstream jets for church. In addition to making you ridiculously rich, many prosperity teachers also teach that God wants to heal you of all diseases, all sickness, all injuries and all mental health issues if you just believe enough. Well, for some of them, it’s believe enough and send them a donation in accordance to your faith.

The reason I share this is two-fold. 1) I am opposed to this type of Christianity. I view it as false teaching, as dangerous and manipulative and my desire is that, as you encounter different bible teachers online, or on TV, that you be wise in who you listen to. 2) Because many of those prosperity teachers use the verse we are going to look at today to justify their preaching.

Series Intro and passage intro.

John 14:13–14 NLT

You can ask for anything in my name, and I will do it, so that the Son can bring glory to the Father. Yes, ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it!

When you take this passage in isolation from the rest of scripture, and purposely look at it superficially, it seems to say that as long as you say "In Jesus name” at the end of your prayers, you can have anything that you want. “Lord, I humbly pray that, for your glory, that you might bless me in your abundance with that Mercedes e-class. In Jesus’ name, I’ve named it and I claim that car.”

But that is not what this scripture teaches us. What it does teach is that to pray in Jesus’ name is to pray in alignment with Jesus’ purpose and character. We need to also see that this verse is a continuation of verse 12 which says

John 14:12 NLT

“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.

So when Jesus talks about answering prayer in verses 13 and 14, it’s in the context of doing God’s will on earth in the power of the Holy Spirit. Because the Holy Spirit now indwells in every person who believes in Jesus, the power of Jesus has been disseminated all around the world and is in each of you. So our reach is farther than Jesus’ who was limited to Israel for his ministry. But spiritual fruit is produced not just by doing things for Jesus, it’s produced when we when we are in prayer.

So let’s break down verses 13 and 14 a bit more because there is something more for us in them. The first thing we see is Jesus’s invitation to come and pray.

Jesus’ invitation - to come and pray

Have you ever had a moment where you felt a sense of awe that you get to do something? I remember when I was the summer worker at a church, like Aaron and Noah are here. My role was Youth, Jr. Youth (grades 5-7) and Kid’s camp. I remember the first time I organized a Jr. Youth trip to go to the waterslide park. The kids showed up, I took their money, we took the church bus to the waterpark, and I paid for everyone’s admission. My admission was covered by the church because it was a work trip. And I realized the amazing privilege I had. Not only could I go for free, I was getting paid to go to the waterslides. It was awesome.

Now, those days are mostly over for me. No one pays me to go to the waterslides anymore. But I still feel this sense of awe because of the privilege I have to stand here and speak with you most weeks. I mean, I get paid to teach people about Jesus. That’s an amazing privilege you give me.

In Jesus’ statement here, we are all given another amazing privilege: the privilege of prayer. Jesus invites us to come to him with our requests. Think about that! Let that sink in for a minute. The God who created everything that exists, who sovereignly rules over the cosmos, who set every planet, every star, every moon in the sky, who paints the sky every morning and every evening, wants to talk with you. He wants to hear your heart, listen to your struggles, and delight in your gratitude. Our God invites you and I to talk to him.

But more than just talk to him, he invites us to bring our requests to him.

Philippians 4:6 NLT

Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done.

And he doesn’t just listen sympathetically to our requests, he promises that he’s going to act on them. What a good and generous God we have in Jesus! The Roman and Greek gods that were prevalent in and around Israel were usually capricious and mean but we have Jesus who loves us, who cares for us, who listens to us and who acts on our behalf. Amazing.

I never want us, as God’s beloved, to lose the awe and wonder that we get the awesome privilege of freely praying to Jesus, knowing that he actually answers us.

But there is a caveat in Jesus’ invitation to pray: We have to pray in Jesus’ name

Jesus’ caveat - In my name

This is where so many people get mixed up. They see this phrase and take it literally as if it’s a magic spell like “wingardium leviosa,” “expelliarmus” or “abracadabra.” But that’s not how this works. Jesus isn’t teaching us how to get whatever we want. He’s challenging us to align what we want with who He is.

In the ancient near-East of first century Israel, a name was more than just the sound you associate with a person. A name was a descriptor of a person’s character, given to them at birth with the assumption that they would become that.

Examples: Abraham (Father of Many), Jacob (Deceiver), Andrew (Manly, Masculine)

When Jesus invites us to pray, he invites us to pray in his name - which means to pray for the things that Jesus is passionate about - like justice for the oppressed, like homecoming for those who are wandering far from the Father, like healing for the brokenhearted. To pray in his name is to pray like Jesus would pray and to pray for the things that Jesus would pray for. It’s to represent his character and his values in prayer. Paul the Apostle says,

2 Corinthians 5:20 NLT

So we are Christ’s ambassadors; God is making his appeal through us. We speak for Christ when we plead, “Come back to God!”

To be able to represent someone, you need to know them. It’s key that you become really close.

Bekah got a tip at work - Abby’s response - We knew what she was going to do, because we know her.

This is why we need to be people of the book - people who immerse ourselves in the Bible - so that we can realign our desires according to the will and character of Jesus. Jesus invites us to pray and he promises to act on our prayers, when we pray in his name.

But even with this caveat to his promise, Jesus tells us something else we need to keep in mind: His purpose, which is the glory of the Father.

Jesus’ purpose - the glory of the father

When you know the purpose of something, it changes how you see it. There are times as a parent when I am a benevolent, well, mostly benevolent dictator. But other times, I have learned that when there is a why - a purpose behind what I tell my kids to do, it motivates them.

Jesus gives us a purpose with his promise and his caveat: Jesus’ purpose is the glory of the Father and that has has implications for you and me. First, it means the promise that Jesus made isn’t about giving you all the cool things and helping you avoid pain and struggle. It’s not about making your life awesome. Jesus loves you deeply and his desire is that you would live a spiritually abundant life. But this passage, which is about Jesus’ promise to answer our prayer, isn’t teaching that. This passage is teaching us that the purpose of Jesus answering our prayers is the glory of God.

This should help us evaluate our prayer requests. It gives us a question to ask ourselves when we have a request to make of Jesus:

Is this for God’s glory, or for my own? Do I want this so that my life would be better, or do I want this because it will positively impact the kingdom of God? Now, I want to be clear: there is nothing wrong with praying for things that will make your life better. There is nothing wrong with praying for a new job, a pay raise, a new relationship. Praying for those things is good. But this verse in John is not a verse where we can claim “Jesus promised it so it’s going to happen.” No, this verse promises us that when our prayers are in alignment with the character and purpose of Jesus, then he will answer them.

So what are you praying for? In addition to praying for the things you want, are you praying for the things that bring God glory? Are you praying for the kingdom to come, on earth as it is in heaven? Are you praying for a spiritual revival in your neighbourhood? Are you praying for opportunities to tell others about your Jesus? We need to be a people who pray for far more than our own desires, but we need to be people who desire the glory of God and we need to pray for those things that bring him glory.

Conclusion

This passage challenges us in three ways:

To hold on to the awe and wonder that Jesus, our God and the one through whom all things were made, wants you to talk to him and bring your requests to him. He loves you deeply and is always ready to listen to you.

To be people of the Bible: people who read and study deeply about Jesus so that our prayers can be reflective of Jesus, as his ambassadors.

To be people, who like Jesus, give glory to God by praying for the things that bring him glory.

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

This isn’t a carte blanche where God will give you anything you want. But if you pray in accordance with the character, the mission and the purpose of Jesus, then Jesus will bring glory to God through you and answer your prayers positively, in His time and in His way.

Pray.