John 14:13-14 (Praying In His Name)

The Upper Room Discourse and the Importance of Prayer

Thank you for subscribing to the Shepherds Church podcast. This is our Lord's Day Sermon. We pray that as we declare the Word of God that you would be encouraged Strengthened in your faith and that you would catch a greater vision of who Christ is.

May you be blessed in the hearing of God's Word and may the Lord be with you. If you remember last week, we talked about the fact that Jesus has now huddled his disciples together for the last Training session that he is going to give them before he is arrested before he is crucified and Then before he eventually Goes back to the Father in heaven.

He's gonna be giving them one final talk. Which means he's gonna be prepping them to do the work that he's called them to do and that work is to build the kingdom Of God. He has called them to be his builders while he goes to heaven to oversee the construction.

He has called them to be his soldiers while he goes to headquarters to oversee the war and he's giving them one final lesson. That's gonna comprise the most important things. That he wants to tell them we're in a season of graduation.

If you look at what the speeches that are given during graduation. They're always trying to get at the most important aspects of now that you finished with this degree now. What this is sort of what Jesus is doing.

He's giving them the most important things so they can Go out and do the marching orders that Christ has given them. Now we've just barely gotten into the The upper room discourse, which is what it's called three weeks or two weeks ago.

We talked about Jesus is teaching on faith. And what a blessing that was because we learned that that God is the one who saves us From all eternity. He elects us. He foreknows us. He draws us. He changes us.

He adopts us. He does every bit of the salvation process. So by the time that we call out to him Lord, I Want to follow you. There's been an eternity of work underneath that that's brought you to himself.

You were dead. He made you alive. That's what we talked about two weeks ago last week. We talked about from that now. What do we do? We're saved now. Now, what do we do and we talked about the works that Christ has given us to do the greater works?

And we talked about what that meant. Does not mean that we do greater works than Jesus. Qualitatively because none of us here have risen from the dead. So if you haven't risen from the dead, you haven't done a greater work than Christ.

What Jesus is getting at is that we will take the work that he started in Jerusalem. And we will take it to the ends of the earth. That Christ by his spirit through the church Will overcome the world with his gospel.

That's the greater work that he's talking about. We talked about that last week. Today we're gonna be talking about the first great work of the Christian. Which is prayer and if prayer is the first one that follows that topic of greater works.

And we ought to really understand how important prayer is. It's central to the Christian life and really in many ways. There's no greater labor than prayer because prayer is the admission that we have no power the greatest work we can do for our marriage the greatest work that we can do in our family the greatest work that we can Do in our lives is to admit to God.

I have no power and I need you. That's the greatest work that you and I could ever do. So it's no Surprise that prayer is the first great work that Christ speaks about. As we make disciples of the nations as we build the kingdom prayer is gonna be the lifeblood of the church.

Now we may ask yourself. Why is Jesus teaching on prayer? Well prayer is essential. Out of all the things that he could teach on he's teaching about prayer because like I said earlier like a general's final address before The soldiers go into the battle.

This is going to be the thing that's going to help them and aid them in their mission. Jesus viewed prayer is absolutely critical to the mission critical to advancing the kingdom of God. If you were a marine it would be your bayonet.

If you were a samurai it would be your katana sword if you were a fisherman. It would be your hook prayer. Is that essential to your life and it's important for a variety of reasons. Prayer is our communing with God.

We could we could preach a series of sermons on this. So forgive me if I'm gonna have to go quickly through the material. I don't intend to you know me. But we are gonna go quickly. Prayer is communing with God.

You think about soldiers who are who are getting their marching orders from a general and then they leave and they don't have any contact With the general anymore. He goes back to the command tent. They don't see him anymore, but he gives them equipment.

He gives them radio so that they can call in and so they can get the marching orders and and be in contact with their General prayer is the wartime radio that Christ has given to the church to commune with him.

He has not left us alone. Prayer is the definitive declaration that you are not alone in the mission that God has called you to but he is with you. Prayer is about communing with the Living God. Prayers also a means of grace.

If you've ever visited someone in the hospital who's hooked up to a set of IVs. That IV is what is a conduit by which nutrients are getting into the body. Maybe they're in a coma. Maybe they're unable to feed themselves, but they're still getting nutrients because of this intravenous sort of method that is what prayer is.

Prayer is a way that God is taking his Nourishment and he's bringing it into the soul of his people. Prayer is a means of grace. It's a conduit by which grace flows to the believer. If you want to live a grace less life live a prayer less life.

Maybe you didn't hear me. If you want to have a grace less life than live a prayer less life. Because it is a means by which God brings you grace. Prayer also aligns our will to God. You just as you pray you'll realize that your heart is changing its molding its shaping.

You have new cravings new appetites as you pray in. The same way that that a turkey becomes this beautiful thing inside of an oven it's baked in the oven. You are baked in the will of God by being in prayer.

Before that you're useless. After that you're something exquisite the prayer bakes you in his will changes you the longer we pray. The harder we pray the more that we pray. The more we smell like act like think like walk like Christ.

There's other benefits of prayer. It deepens our understanding of God. It opens us up to receive from God. It's a humble acknowledgment that you are not enough. It gives us strength and faith and trust.

It fosters humility. It becomes a witness to the own-looking world. It is a weapon in our warfare. It provides us a place to make our requests known to God and it's a place where we can intercede for the lives of others.

God has given us the manifold blessings of God through prayer but. One of the important reasons why I think Jesus is talking about this is because it's not all easy. When we think about prayer we think about all the benefits of it, but how often do you and I not pray.

How many difficulties are there with prayer. You think about the things that God most richly blesses or the things that Satan attacks most fiercely. Marriage family prayer. This great gift that he's given you is the very thing that Satan attacks and there's various different reasons.

Why you and I will neglect the discipline of prayer. Maybe number one. We haven't thought that prayer is that effective? We pray and we feel like our prayers are bouncing off the ceiling. We don't see anything happening.

We don't we don't experience anything magical. Maybe we have neglected the discipline of prayer because we think it's not effective. But what we often do is that we're the ones who are defining what effective is.

So that when we have defined that prayer means that I should receive this or prayer means that I should get that. Oftentimes we're left disappointed because that's not what prayer is. It's like us getting mad that we can't dribble a football down a basketball court.

We misuse prayer. Often for our own selfish motives and we don't understand what prayer is. I've seen so many people who've prayed and lost a loved one and they said my prayers didn't work. Well, the object of your praying is not to rescue loved ones from death.

All people are gonna die. Your prayer is for something greater than that. It's not it's not to save your grandma from death. Your prayer is so that you can know the Living God. So we mistreat prayer. How many how many people have become frustrated at prayer because they they didn't get a raise or their marriage did not get saved or They treated prayer as if it were a vending machine.

Where God's rewards just need to be doled out to us if we push the right button. Say the right code push it in sequence in the exact right way do the Harry Potter thing. And then it's just supposed to work automagically.

We've misunderstood what prayer is. We're bouncing a football down a basketball court and we're wondering why we look awkward and Why it's not working. Now the question I want to ask is will God reward us for misusing prayer?

If we're using it in the wrong way is God obligated to give us What we desire or is there an obligation for us to understand what prayer is and to? Employ prayer in a biblical way to do prayer like the Bible says.

Because prayer is about God prayer is about spending time with God. Prayer is about receiving more of God. If when you pray your desire is to receive more of God's gifts instead of the giver. You've misunderstood what prayer even is.

Prayer is not about getting more stuff. It's about getting God because if we do that we will be sorely disappointed. That's number one. We don't know how prayer is effective because we've not defined effective correctly.

Number two a reason that we struggle with prayer. I struggle with prayer is because of distractions physical mental emotional spiritual. The world the flesh and the devil distracts us. Now, I'm gonna be honest with you.

I write my sermons out in full. I write every word. I don't say every word, but it's all here. You can look as I was writing this sentence. This sentence. Two emails popped up one text message in a YouTube comment that a new Chess video had come out because I like watching chess videos because I'm that guy.

I'm nerdy. It happened all at once. So I turned off all my notifications. I repented of. But the world is clamoring for our attention. We see it all the time. The our phones are blowing up all the time constantly in our pockets the news articles that everything is just clamoring for us to get off track and if we if we live that sort of moment-by-moment iterative lifestyle, then we will not Thrive in a discipline like prayer.

We won't be able to slow down long enough. Have you ever went away? I? Read this in a in a book. I think it's called creativity Inc. The guy's not a Christian. But he said once a year he goes away and Then he spends time by himself and for the first three days.

He can't accomplish anything because his head is just a mess. I Tried it. It's true it takes about two to three days just to Decompress from all of the stuff that you and I live in the moment by moment second by second interactions and and Notifications and all of that and by the time you've spent about three days by yourself.

You finally have peace in your mind and you can think I Think solitude is one of the most neglected Christian disciplines today. We're always connected. We always have a light on we always have the phone nearby.

The discipline of solitude goes right in line with prayer. Teaching ourselves how to not be distracted. We have health concerns relational strains. We worry about our children. We have events that are coming up playoff games to watch Performance reviews at work and then in the midst of all of the cacophony of all of that prayer gets choked out.

And it becomes almost impossible. Number three another reason why we don't pray is guilt and shame. Prayer exposes us. Does it not? You can feel fine. The moment you bow your head the moment you start praying that sin that struggle that pain that hurt comes.

Flooding over you and you feel like Adam and Eve in the garden all over again naked and ashamed. So many people have avoided going to prayer going to God because they're ashamed of something in their past.

Shamed of some sin ashamed of some brokenness guilt. Causes us to neglect prayer when in fact, it's the very discipline we should run towards. Our busy schedules and our priorities cause us to neglect prayer.

Some of us when we pray it feels like a one-sided conversation we feel awkward like we're talking to ourselves. I worked in a jail when people start talking to themselves. There's a problem. It's true, but we can feel that way.

We don't have a view of God interacting with us through Scripture and through the prayer. We maybe we go through spiritual dryness. Maybe we don't see the results. Maybe we don't know how to pray. Many people don't know how to pray and they don't know how to ask because it makes them feel ashamed that they don't know How to pray.

The disciples didn't know how to pray and Jesus taught them. What I found is That prayer is one of the most powerful and poignant blessings that God has given us and it's one of the most Easy disciplines for us to avoid for various different reasons.

Maybe you have reasons that I haven't even mentioned. But often is the case when God gives us great blessings it comes with struggle it comes with All kinds of things that make us want to avoid it. And Jesus brings this into his final lecture because it's that important that we be a praying people.

It's that important that we love prayer practice prayer experience the presence of God in prayer and We know that this is true because the world and the flesh and the devil hate prayer. So it must be from God if that's the case.

Praying in Jesus' Name Is Praying With Him and Like Him

Now today I want to go to John 14 13 through 14 just two verses that's twice what we did last week. So we're making progress and we're gonna talk about three things today. We're gonna talk about what does it mean to pray in Jesus's name?

We're gonna talk about what it means to pray like Jesus to have a prayer life that looks like his and then we're gonna talk about why all of that is Significant. So if you will You already know we're in John 14.

Meet me there in verse 13 and 14 and we will examine these scriptures together. John 14. Whatever you ask in my name that will I do so that the Father may be glorified in the Son and If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it the Word of the Lord.

Let's pray Lord Jesus. This is a passage that has been mightily misunderstood. Lord, I pray today that we would let your word speak. That we would let your spirit work that we would grab hold of what it means to pray in your name.

That we would understand what that looks like and why that's so significant how that would be utterly life-changing if we grab hold of it. Lord, I pray that we would see that the light bulb would go off the epiphany would happen.

Lord I pray that we would walk out of here. More committed to prayer not out of legalism moralism or duty. Because we want to increase our delight in Christ. We want to receive more grace. We want to know you more the power of your resurrection more Lord.

Let us have that motivation. To employ prayer as a way of experiencing more joy in you in Christ's name. Amen. Now the question we have to ask ourselves, what does it mean to pray in Jesus's name? Is it just the thing that you say the postscript the sign-off tag in Jesus's name?

I'm done. Or is it more than that? I Believe it's much more than that. And John is the only gospel that actually talks about praying in Jesus's name. The other Gospels talk about Jesus's name and what that means and we'll talk about that in a moment.

But John's Gospels the only one that talks about praying in the name of Christ. So John has a specific point that he's trying to get across to us and it is not a tagline or a sign-off to your prayer.

It shows up actually three times in the gospel of John and every time it shows up is in the upper room discourse, which is fascinating. First time it shows up is in our passage today. Whatever you ask in my name that I will do.

Shows up in John 15 verse 16 you did not choose me, but I chose you and I appointed you that you would go and bear fruit and That your fruit would remain so that whatever you ask of the Father in my name He may give you final passages in John 16 verse 23 through 27 and that day.

You will not question me about anything. Truly truly I say to you if you ask the Father for anything in my name, he will give it to you. Until now you have asked for nothing in my name. Asking you will receive so that your joy may be full.

What a glorious verse that is. These things I have spoken to you in figurative language an hour is coming when I no longer speak to you in figurative language but I will tell you plainly of the Father and That day you ask in my name and I do not say to you that I will request of the Father on your behalf for the Father himself loves you because you loved me and Believe that I came from the Father.

Three times in the upper room discourse. He tells us to pray in Jesus's name. He even says that it's not because that I'm going to be representing you. Although he is he's saying that you are going to be praying in his name to the Father because the Father loves you because you're in Christ.

Which is a beautiful thing now again that tells us why it's important. It doesn't tell us what it is. What is it to pray in Jesus's name? Well, there's some background on this at that particular time period in Israel there was what's called name incantations.

There were Jewish magicians believe it or not. The Jews were not allowed to practice sorcery and witchcraft and incantations and divinations. But we know that Jesus says that that generation was lawless and that the love of God had grown cold in that generation.

So there were men and women who were practicing magic. You can look at a man named Elamas in Acts chapter 13 who was practicing Magic. He was rebuked mightily for that, but it's there. We have record in history that there were Jews who were practicing this this wasn't just a Gentile phenomenon.

It was a Jewish phenomenon and they were evoking the name of God. They were saying their prayers in the name of God. Why. So that they could perform signs and wonders. So they could lead the people astray.

We read in Luke 21 earlier. You can also read in Matthew 24 That There will be some who will perform signs and wonders to lead the people astray do not follow them. This is what they were doing. They were performing signs and Wonders to lead the people astray.

They were evoking the name of God. They were trying to convince people that they were the Messiah. But we know from the scriptures where God's power truly comes from it doesn't come from men and women performing signs and miracles and wonders.

In Fact oftentimes those who are seeking these sorts of witchcraft and stuff are said that they have the power of demons that are in them so these men were not finding their power in God and Jesus is not appealing to this custom to substantiate praying in his name.

Some scholars have argued that but if Jesus is appealing to this Jewish magicians custom. Then he would be appealing to a sort of prayer that is common in paganism and that is not what Jesus is doing.

He would basically be saying that the disciples need to Tack on his name at the end of their prayer so that they can make sure that they get whatever they want. Men do this all the time today. Where they say you need to ask in faith believe and you will receive put Jesus's name on it.

The Ford Raptor will show up in your driveway. The magic genie sort of prayer is not what Jesus was advocating for. This was going on at the time, but Jesus is not endorsing it. He's he's actually creating a contrast to that.

Now there's also the Greek and the Roman Background which also had this sort of thing that was going on. Matthew chapter 6 Jesus tells you don't pray like the pagans who heap up vain repetitions. You remember the prophets of Baal?

They were cutting themselves and they were Repeating the same phrases over and over and over again because they were trying to get the attention of the gods and Elijah said your God Must be on the toilet.

Talk a little louder at that time. Your only hope is that you could get the gods to notice you because they didn't really care for you. If you read Greek mythology, they're flippant. They're arrogant.

They're sinful. They're ugly and You have to sort of manipulate them to get them to do what you want. And what they would do at that time is they would say all the names of all the gods. He would say oh dear Zeus Aphrodite and Athena and they would just start piling them up because maybe one of them will hear me.

Maybe one of them will listen and give me what I want. They were sort of increasing their chances of success sort of like a child who goes to the mom and asks for a piece of candy. And then immediately goes to the father.

Trying to increase their chances. Have you asked mom? No, of course not. Their motivation was to get God's attention because God was not omnipotent in the Greek culture. God was not omniscient in the Greek culture.

So they had to work really hard in prayer to get God to notice them. That's not what Jesus is talking about either. Because God hears all of our prayers. God knows even the thoughts of our heart. So it's not a question of whether God hears us or not.

That's not what this is all about. You don't pray in Jesus's name to get him to notice you like Jesus is in heaven saying they didn't pray in my name. I don't even know if they're talking to me. Maybe they're talking to someone else.

Maybe they're talking to something else. That's not what Jesus is doing. There's some funny instances of of this sort of Roman and Greek mythology playing out if a Roman temple priest. Let his hat fall off of his head.

He'd be fired. Because he ruined the prayer that sort of. You know superstitious way. There was also the magistrates who would read the prayers of the old poets. And if they misspoke one syllable, they would be taken down off of the platform because they ruined the prayer.

Do you see all of this is getting at? The Jewish magicians were using God to get what they wanted. The Greeks and the Romans were saying we have to do all the work because our gods aren't really that powerful.

Jesus is not saying any of that. Jesus is appealing to a biblical tradition of what it means to be in the name of God. In the Old Testament when God evokes his own name He is appealing to his authority and to his power and to his character when God uses his name.

He is saying that this is who I am I am that I am as a declaration of his character and not necessarily the spelling of his name. When God appeals to himself at shorthand for himself, it is his identity.

It's his character. It's his power. It's his glory that he's communicating. So when God uses his name, he's communicating himself for instance Psalm 23 3. He restores my soul. He guides me in the paths of righteousness.

If we don't read on we could think well. God's really into me. He really loves me. He guides me. He guides me by the paths of righteousness. He must be really into me. He must really like me. Makes me sit by still waters.

That's pretty nice. Nice and luscious green grass. He's into me. He digs me. Why does he do it? Does it for his name's sake? He doesn't do it for the spelling of his name. He doesn't do it for how his name is written on a page.

He does it for himself for his glory when he says that he does it for his namesake. He's saying that he does it for him. God saves us and redeems us and brings us to himself for himself for his glory for his Recognition and fame.

God saves us to declare his own glory. That's what that means his name. His name just means him. Exodus 9 16 his name showcases his power and his might. But indeed for this reason I have allowed you to remain in order to show you my power and in order to proclaim my name throughout all the earth.

God is not interested in just telling people what his name is. His name communicates relationship with him when his name redounds to the ends of the earth. That's when people know him. His name communicates him.

There's a Hebrew way of thinking here. That when the name of God goes to the ends of the earth that declares his power his glory in his Relationship when you know his name, you know him in Isaiah 48 9 for the sake of my name I delay my wrath and my and for my praise I restrain it in order not to cut you off.

He's declaring again his character in his glory. Deuteronomy 18 20 19 through 20 it shall come about that whoever will not listen to my words. Which he shall speak in my name. I myself will require it of him.

But the prophet who speaks the word presumptuously in my name, which I have not commanded him to speak. That prophet shall die. He's not saying that just because a prophet says something and he tags on the name of God at the end.

That's the problem. He is spoken for God. He's used God's name is speaking for him and because he's done that he must die. The name stands in for who God is. Psalm 9 2. I will be glad and exult in you.

I was seeing praises to your name. None of us gather here today and imagine we had a big sign up here flashing lights. It says God and we sing praises to this word God. That's not what we're doing. The word represents the person.

We are singing praises to the name of God because we're singing praises to the God who has this name. Matthew 18 20 for where two or three are gathered together in my name. I am there in the midst of them.

We're not gathered together. Just in a name. Physically speaking written down on a piece of paper that we're all holding. We're gathered in the presence of Christ. His name communicates his presence. His name communicates his glory.

His name communicates his characteristics and attributes and who he is. The name encompasses all of him. So that when you say the name you're saying him. When you say the name you're saying his character.

When you say the name you're saying the person. Matthew 10 22 you will be hated by all because of my name. You're not hated because of his name. You're hated because you know him. The name communicates him.

Matthew 18 5 whoever receives one child and my name receives me. You're not receiving Christ by just receiving someone in the name. You can go down to Mexico and receive someone in the name of Jesus spelled the same way.

It's not about the spelling. When you receive a little child in the name of Christ you're receiving them as Christ would receive them. Acts 4 7 through 10 ministering in his name. When they had placed them in the center they began to inquire by what power or in what name have you done this?

And then Peter filled with the Holy Spirit said of them rulers and elders the people if We are on trial today for a benefit done to a sick man as to how this man has been made. Well. Let it be known to all of you and that to all the people of Israel that by the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene Whom you've crucified whom God raised from the dead by this name this man stands here before you in good health.

They are not saying that the name is a magic formula that if you just sprinkle it over top of a dead body. They will rise. It is the power of Christ. Communicated by his name that his person is the one that's the power.

So when God or when Christ evokes the name of God he is communicating himself. He's communicating his power and his glory. He is communicating those things. The name is not a tagline that you add or a postscript at the end of your prayer.

It is not a vain repetition that oops. I Didn't say in Jesus name. My biscuits aren't blessed. Praying in Jesus. His name is praying in the presence of Christ. It's praying with Christ. It's praying Knowing Christ it's praying in such a way that his character that his holiness.

That his person is involved. Quite simply there's a lot of understanding in the Hebrew way of thinking of this that goes into this when you say that you're praying in Jesus his name. You are praying with Christ and you're praying like Christ.

You're praying as if Christ would be praying for you. Praying in his name does not mean using his name as a magic formula to get a Ford Raptor or to get a a Model s plaid Tesla. That would be nice. I could get to church in like three minutes.

That's not what it means. It's not a magic formula. It's the person his name is himself. So that when you pray in his name, you're praying with him and like him his personhood. His character is becoming your character so that you're now praying like him.

This is why when Jesus says whatever you ask in my name that I will do. He is not saying that if you just add my name to it sprinkle a little bit of Jesus on the side of it. Then I'll give you whatever you want.

He's saying if you pray with me and If you pray like me. Then I will give you I will you will receive. If you pray like Christ and consistent with the will that's consistent with the will of Christ. You will receive because Christ cannot deny himself.

He will accomplish his will if you want to have answered prayers pray in the will of Christ. And you always receive. The reason we don't receive is because we prayed outside the will of Christ. We prayed for something.

That was not what Christ wanted. So therefore prayer is about aligning our will to him and it's about getting to know him. And not about treating him like a slot machine where we can get the carnal treasures that we think we want.

How Jesus Prayed: Priority, Scope, and Pattern

Now the next question is if praying in the name of Jesus means praying like Jesus. Well, how did Jesus pray? We don't we can't answer that from John 14 we have to look at some other passages. How did Jesus pray?

Well, we're gonna look at three things. Jesus had a schedule to his prayer. Jesus had a scope to his prayer. Derek smiling. I'm doing Baptist now doing all s's and Jesus was communicating his significance to his prayer.

Jesus had a schedule to the way that he prayed. He prayed all the time. Out of all the activities that Jesus did prayer is one of the ones that's communicated the most in the gospel. When the disciples needed him the most when they needed someone to be healed when someone was sick and they were looking for him when they wanted to hear a sermon or Parable.

Jesus would often slip away to pray and he wasn't really concerned. That he messed up someone's schedule Luke 5 16 says. But Jesus himself would often Slip away to the wilderness to pray. I can imagine the disciples saying where's Jesus.

I think he's praying again. We haven't really got a lot done today, you know our modern views of efficiency, but he's praying he's praying. Jesus made prayer a priority. That's the point Jesus made prayer the most important thing that he did.

Jesus is calling us to the exact same. Discipline to imitate him to spend time with his father Jesus the Son of God the perfect one the God-man. Prioritized prayer in his life. How much more so do we who are broken need to be on our knees in prayer?

Praying is the most important thing that you and I could ever do. It's a higher priority than our job. It's a higher priority than the work that we've been called to do in a vocational sense. It's a higher priority than anything to get before the Lord and pray.

I love what Martin Luther says here. Martin Luther says if I fail to spend two hours in prayer each morning, the devil gets the victory in my day. And then he says I have so much to do that I cannot get on with it without spending three hours in daily prayer.

To catch what he said. I'm so busy that I have to pray. How often do we say the opposite? I'm so busy. I can't pray. He's saying my life has got so many things. That I need wisdom that I need guidance that I need the Lord on.

I cannot afford to skip prayer. I Would be doing myself a disservice. I would be harming myself spiritually. I cannot afford to neglect the discipline of prayer. Oh. How often do we feel that way or not feel that way?