A wonderul promise for all who pray in Jesus' name

Text John 14:13,14 Date 21/05/08 Place Childs Hill Baptist

I want us to look tonight at another of the great texts of the New TestameT. It is found in John 14:13, 14. Once again Jesus is the speaker. He says to his disciples And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father. You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.

The verses concern prayer and so are of interest to practically everyone. You will rarely meet a person who has not at least on one occasion or another prayed. I was walking along Cricklewood Broadway on the Friday before Christmas and I saw a great pile of shoes on the pavement. I wondered why. Muslims were praying nearby. Prayer is speaking to someone (usually in English we mean someone you cannot see) and asking them for something. Even people who are not brought up to do this seem almost instinctively to engage in this sort of activity. All sorts of people pray, even those we may least expect. I am not suggesting that all this praying is right praying or good praying – not at all. I am simply pointing out that people do pray. If you don't believe me, ask around.

Jesus spoke these words on the night he was betrayed. Following the Last Supper, Jesus had many things to say to his disciples and John records a great deal of it in Chapters 14, 15, 16 of his Gospel. Chapter 14 begins with Jesus saying Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. You know the way to the place where I am going.

This prompts Thomas's objection Lord, we don't know where you are going, so how can we know the way? And Jesus's wonderful answer I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

He adds If you really knew me, you would know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him which leads to Philip's request (8) Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us. Jesus responds Don't you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, Show us the Father?Don't you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me? The words I say to you are not just my own. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work. Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the evidence of the miracles themselves.

He then says (12) I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. This is a great promise in itself but one that we have no time to look at tonight. It is trumped by the verses that follow where Jesus adds the even more amazing words that we want to look at tonight (13, 14) And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father. You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.

We want to say four things arising out of these verses.

1. Consider this wonderful promise concerning prayer

So Jesus says I will do whatever you ask. I think we need to ask just two questions to get at what we are being told here.

1. Who is this promise for? Clearly Jesus is speaking to his disciples here and so when he says I will do whatever you ask the you he has in mind are specifically disciples, followers. See verse 12 anyone who has faith in me. This does not mean to say that Jesus will never do anything for anyone else but it does mean to say that he is committing himself only to doing what his own disciples ask and only what those who come to him in faith ask. If I say to someone I will do this or that for you – you only have to ask, then when they phone me or ask me personally for that offered help then I am under an obligation to help them. Of course, with others I have the choice - I can help or I may not do so. So, if you are not a disciple of Jesus you are free to ask Jesus to do something for you and he may well do it. You may be able to give me examples where he has answered your prayers. However, strictly speaking, this promise is only for disciples. It is for people who have already committed themselves to following and serving Jesus. Certainly if we do not come to Jesus in faith then there is no hope of an answer.

2. What does it commit to? Now this is the most striking element here. When I gave an illustration just now you notice that I didn't say “If I say to someone I will do anything you ask ....” rather I said “If I say to someone I will do this or that for you”. That is because I never would and never should say to anyone “I will do anything you ask”. I am not in a position to make such a sweeping promise. I know people say such things. You get it in several popular songs

I would do anything for you Anything for you

If I only had you by my side

I would do anything for you Anything for you

If you wave goodbye I'll be waiting for you

If I were a bird I would sing for you if I were a bell I would ring for you

If I were a tear I would cry for you for I would do anything for you

If I were a kite I would fly for you if I were a ship I would sail for you

If I were a heart I would beat for you for I would do anything for you

If I were the day I would dawn for you if I were the sun I would shine for you

If I were a rose I would bloom for you for I would do anything for you

If I were a joke I would laugh for you if I were a ball I would bounce for you

If I were a clown I would dance for you for I would do anything for you

Well, songs are one thing. As a norm we cannot really make such promises. But Jesus can. When he says to his disciples I will do whatever you ask then he means it. It is his commitment. It is his promise.

So that's the first thing. Here is a wonderful promise. It's not for everyone. It's only for disciples – though if that is how Jesus speaks to his disciples then there is hope for us all. If he will do whatever they ask then he must be willing at least to do something for anyone who asks. Take this promise seriously then. Become a disciple of Jesus Christ and believe his promise.

2. Consider this important qualification to the promise

So anyone who is a disciple has this promise I will do whatever you ask. But isn't that dangerous? Isn't it a bit like giving a child the key to the medicine cabinet? Isn't it like letting someone have a blank cheque book? Won't we end up with the lunatics taking over the asylum? It raises all sorts of questions. So if a believer asks Jesus for a million pounds will Jesus give it to him? Can he win the lottery or get a better job or a new car or live until he's a hundred just by asking Jesus? Does it mean that no believer need ever be ill or poor? If he prays to die will Jesus let him die just there and then, even though he might have changed his mind otherwise? Or what if he is having a really bad day and prays for some reason for some terrible thing like death for his enemies or to give in to his temptations and sin? It's beginning to sound more like a nightmare than a wonderful promise. It's starting to sound like a recipe for chaos not a great source of blessing.

Well, it is important, isn't it, to notice those three little words that we have not mentioned yet. What Jesus actually says is I will do whatever you ask in my name. 'Ah' says some one 'I knew it was too good to be true'. Well, yes there is this qualification but it is not a let out as such but a reminder that the true believer will want only to do what is according to the will of the Lord Jesus Christ, what is pleasing to him. Thankfully, it is only that which Jesus commits himself to doing. He will do only what a Christian asks him to do if it is in line with his character and purposes. This is then not a get out clause but a word of reassurance. It is like a safety net, if you will. Yes, in general Jesus will do whatever a believer asks but he will not use that against them. Where their request would clearly run contrary to his own wise character and purposes then he overrides that request. Something like the way a good parent will give his child what it asks for but not in a way that will actually lead to their harm or hurt. Of course, parents can get such judgements wrong but Jesus always makes a right judgement as far as this is concerned.

So when a believer prays he has a great freedom. He is confident that Jesus will do for him whatever he asks as long as it is in his name. This is not a matter of adding on the phrase 'we ask this in Jesus' name' every time he prays but of asking for whatever he feels he ought to ask for but bearing in mind that the answer he gets will not necessarily be what he expects.

So if a believer wants to be rich he can ask for that but it may well be that Christ does not want that for him. Similarly, for the better job or the new car or the long life or the decent wage. As he gets to know what Jesus desires he will not want to win the national lottery or see his enemies die or give in to his temptations.

3. Consider why God answers prayer in Jesus's name

Now the question arises as to why God has arranged things in just this way. It is clear that if Jesus simply gave us whatever we asked for without qualification, then that could be disastrous. Why then does Jesus not simply give us what ever we need without there being any place for prayer at all? Well here Jesus explains the reason - so that the Son may bring glory to the Father. It is as we pray to the Son and through the Son and as the Son answers in accord with his own name that he brings glory to God the Father, which is the whole purpose of everything anyway.

It is important that we remember that this is the purpose of prayer. Otherwise, we will very easily be frustrated and discouraged. If we think that prayer is just about asking for things for ourselves we will misunderstand. If we think it is just about asking for things for anyone who is in need we will still misunderstand. Rather, we must see that it is a way for God the Son to glorify God the Father. Because all prayer is either to be to God the Son or in the name of God the Son then it brings all glory to God the Father. When prayer is made to anyone else or through anyone else or in our own name then it does not bring glory to God. As you know, the Roman Catholic church teaches that prayer can be made through Mary and the other saints not just through Jesus Christ. That is utterly false and all it serves to do is to draw attention away from God the Son and God the Father and to rob God of his glory. We can say the same thing about people who think they can come in their own name and on their own behalf to God. But God himself is clear on this. He will not share his glory with another. No, whenever prayer is made it is to be made in Jesus's name. It is to be made to him or through him and for the glory of the Father. Anything else is false and sinful. We must see this and apply it to ourselves.

4. Hear the promise repeated and confirmed

Verse 14 really just sums up what we are told here - You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it. I really want to urge every one of you to get hold of this truth and to act on it. Jesus stands with arms open as it were and he says to you all, Come to me in faith. Believe in me. Ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it. Do you want to be saved? I'll save you. Do you want to know the truth? I'll show it to you. Do you want to escape from hell? I will save you. Do you want to go to heaven? I will take you there. Do you want to be with God forever and forever? I can bring it about. Go to Jesus I urge you – ask him anything. As long as it is according to his will, he will do it. No questions asked.

This is how to begin to pray. Christians often go to God the Father in prayer but they also pray to God the Son. Stephen is an example of soeon ewho orayed the the Son. An unbeliever cannot really go to God and call him Father but he can go to Jesus believing he is the Son of God and asking him to act for him. I would recommend that as the way to begin to go to God. Whatever praying you may have done before I urge you tonight to go to Jesus and ask in his name for anything you want. Ask him to save you, to change you so that you are what you ought to be for the glory of God. Amen.