I. About Prayer
\n\u201cWhatever you ask the Father in My name He will give you.\u201d Jesus said this to the disciples at the Last Supper. Up to now, they hadn\u2019t had to ask for anything in the name of Jesus: Jesus had been right there with them, so they\u2019d just ask Him. But things were about to change: in a few hours, He would leave them and go to the cross. After His Resurrection, He would leave them and ascend into heaven. In a little while, they would see Him no more.<\/p>\n
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So note two things that Jesus did for His disciples at the Last Supper. For one, He gave them the gift of Holy Communion. In that Sacrament, He gave them His body and blood for the forgiveness of sins. Although they would not be able to see Him face to face, He would still be with them to the end of the age, by His Word and in the Sacraments. As we speak of often, these means of grace are how Jesus is present with His people even today. This is how He gives us forgiveness, life and salvation.<\/p>\n
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But here, in our text today, He reinforces another gift: the gift of prayer: \u201cTruly, truly, I say to you, whatever you ask the Father in My name He will give it to you.\u201d Until He returns in glory, this is how we speak to our Lord. Now, prayer is an oft-misunderstood gift among Christians, so we take some time this morning to learn of our Lord\u2019s gift of prayer.<\/p>\n
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We begin with Jesus\u2019 assurance: \u201cTruly, truly, I say to you.\u201d This is one of Jesus\u2019 frequently used sayings: \u201ctruly, truly,\u201d a double \u201camen.\u201d \u201cYes, most assuredly\u201d. Here you have Jesus\u2019 promise to you that He hears your prayers. He doesn\u2019t pick and choose which calls to return, nor does He send most of your petitions to the junk-mail file. He hears and honors each one, and promises to answer every prayer that is prayed in Jesus\u2019 name.<\/p>\n
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\u201cWhatever you ask the Father in My name He will give you.\u201d That\u2019s an astonishing promise\u2014hard to believe, but it\u2019s what Jesus promises \u201cmost assuredly.\u201d The Father will give whatever you ask for in Jesus\u2019 name. Jesus doesn\u2019t give you three wishes. There are no limits. You can\u2019t bother the Father in heaven in prayer enough. As our Lord says in our Gospel lesson, God the Father loves you just as God the Son loves you. He delights to hear and answer every prayer prayed in Jesus\u2019 name.<\/p>\n
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\u201cIn Jesus\u2019 name.\u201d That\u2019s the key phrase we keep coming back to. That is what the promise and gift of prayer rely on. We pray in Jesus\u2019 name. We go before the Lord in prayer by saying, \u201cWe are terrible sinners, and we are not worthy of Your grace or mercy or help. Therefore, we do
\nnot ask You to help us because we are deserving. No, we ask You to hear us and to help us because Jesus has died for our sins and risen again for our salvation. Do not help us because of our goodness: help us for Jesus\u2019 sake. Help us because Your Son has shed His blood to make us Your children.\u201d That is what it means to pray in Jesus\u2019 name.<\/p>\n
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And as long as you pray in Jesus\u2019 name, you can be absolutely sure that the Father will give you whatever you ask.<\/p>\n
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II. The Law and Gospel of Prayer
\nTherefore, the Law for us sinners is quite straightforward today: we sin whenever we fail to pray in Jesus\u2019 name.<\/p>\n
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Now, let us be clear: I do not mean that every prayer is good as long as we attach the three words, \u201cin Jesus\u2019 name,\u201d at the end before the amen. Nor do I mean that an otherwise good prayer goes unheard because we fail to end it with those three words. This is not some sort of
\nmagic phrase. Again, to pray in Jesus\u2019 name is to confess that God answers prayers for Jesus\u2019 sake, not because we or anyone else has earned God\u2019s help.<\/p>\n
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The classic example for Luther was, naturally, praying in the names of saints. In Luther\u2019s time, the Roman Church declared that Jesus was quite the angry Son of God, and encouraged Christians to pray for God\u2019s help in the name of one of the saints who had gone before\u2014perhaps St. Peter or St. Paul or certainly St. Mary, Mother of Jesus. <\/p>\n
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But Jesus never commanded us to pray in the names of other sinners. One can imagine the Father saying, \u201cWhy should I hear a prayer prayed in the name of Peter? My Son had to shed His blood for Peter, too — apart from His grace, Peter is no more righteous than the one who is praying in Peter\u2019s name.\u201d Indeed, were the saints who have gone before us aware of such shenanigans, they would certainly not want us using their names when we can pray in the name of Jesus.<\/p>\n
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Another widespread error in our day is that God honors all prayers, even those prayed by unbelievers. But why should God hear such a prayer? The prayer of an unbeliever says, \u201cEven though I don\u2019t believe that Jesus died for me, and even though I give Him no thanks or honor for the cross, I still expect you to help me anyway.\u201d Such a prayer is exactly against praying in the name of Jesus.<\/p>\n
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Now, if you\u2019re a member here at Redeemer, I take it that you\u2019re already a believer and already confess that it is incorrect to pray in the name of saints. However, you still face many temptations which would mislead you away from praying in Jesus\u2019 name.<\/p>\n
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Perhaps the greatest temptation for you is to pray in your own name. It is so seductive to think that God hears your prayers when you\u2019ve behaved better, when you\u2019ve been trying harder.<\/p>\n
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But if that is how you approach prayer, you are saying, \u201cDear Lord, hear my prayer because of my works, because of my intentions, because I\u2019ve been trying hard to be a little less sinful than I was before.\u201d A \u201clittle less sinful\u201d is still terribly sinful, and God makes no promise to hear such prayers. Do not pray in your own name. Repent; and instead rejoice in the certainty that God hears your prayers for the sake of Jesus, who died for you. That is why you pray in Jesus\u2019 name.<\/p>\n
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Another error is the one made famous by televangelists: it is the error that God will give you whatever you ask, as long as you have enough faith in Jesus. As long as you believe in Jesus enough, then God will give you whatever you want. \u201cName it and claim it.\u201d There are two problems with this. One is that this says that God answers prayer not because of Jesus\u2019 work, but because of how hard you work at believing in Him. If your faith is strong, you can count on Him. If your faith is weak, then you can\u2019t. How terrible is this? How terrible to tell someone who prays for healing that God won\u2019t answer that prayer because his faith is too weak! <\/p>\n
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The other problem is this: it uses Jesus for personal gain. To pray \u201cin Jesus\u2019 name\u201d does not mean that you can expect Him to give you whatever your little old sinful heart desires. Often, what you want to ask for is not what is righteous or best for you. To pray in Jesus\u2019 name is to trust that He knows what is best for you. It is to pray \u201cThy will be done, not mine, O Lord.\u201d Plagued by the devil, the world and our own sinful flesh, this is what makes prayer so terribly difficult. You will be tempted to pray for deliverance on your terms: \u201cHeal me now!\u201d \u201cThat job is perfect for me, so get it for me!\u201d \u201cSave this relationship!\u201d \u201cSave this life!\u201d But God\u2019s thoughts are higher than our thoughts. His will is always best, and He often works through hardship to do us good. If you fall into these errors, repent. And rejoice: the Lord doesn\u2019t only hear you when your faith feels strong. He always hears you for Jesus\u2019 sake. And while you may not see the benefits of His answers in the short-term, you have His promise that He hears your prayers, and answers them in the way that is eternally best for you.<\/p>\n
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Here is an error that we want to approach gently: it is the idea that, God hears prayers more when more people are praying them. Therefore, if many are praying for us, we\u2019re more likely to get the Lord\u2019s attention. Please don\u2019t misunderstand: it is good and right and proper for us to pray for each other and ask others to pray for us; and it is immensely comforting for you and me to know that many people are praying for us. I don\u2019t want to take anything away from that. At the same time, however, it is good for us to embrace this truth: whether the prayer is prayed by one or by many Christians, God promises to hear it. Why? Because it doesn\u2019t depend on the one or the many. It depends on Jesus, who died for the one and the many. If you trust in many voices rather than Jesus, then repent. And rejoice: it is indeed a great comfort to know that, even if you are the only one to pray in Jesus\u2019 name, God promises to hear you and answer you.<\/p>\n
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Here is one more: it is tempting to think that God will answer your prayer as long as you choose the right, eloquent words. As long as you articulate your need clearly, then God will answer. If that is true, then the prayer does not depend on Jesus; rather, it depends on you and your communication skills. But it is not true. In fact, the Bible declares that we do not know how to pray. However, the Holy Spirit intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words (Ro. 8:28).<\/p>\n
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If you place your trust in your eloquence in prayer, repent. And rejoice. Rejoice that even if the longest prayer you can string together is \u201cLord, have mercy,\u201d that prayer in Jesus\u2019 name is heard.<\/p>\n
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Likewise, rejoice in this: not only has the Son given you His name and prayer, and not only does the Father love you and delight to hear your prayers, but the Holy Spirit works to present your prayers in a proper manner to the Father. All the holy Trinity bids you to pray.<\/p>\n
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Rejoice: God hears your prayers prayed in Jesus\u2019 name. To pray in Jesus\u2019 name is to trust that the prayer will be answered because Christ has died for you. And to pray in Jesus\u2019 name is to trust that His will is best, rather than imposing your sinful desires on Him. Rejoice, too, in this: after Jesus spoke of prayer in John 16, He then went to the Garden of Gethsemane and prayed for His disciples\u2014and prayed for you. Even now, He prays for you until He comes again.<\/p>\n
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Therefore, dear friends, rejoice: you can be sure that the Lord hears your prayers for Jesus\u2019 sake\u2026because you are forgiven for all of your sins. In Jesus\u2019 name. Amen.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
I. About Prayer \u201cWhatever you ask the Father in My name He will give you.\u201d Jesus said this to the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","wpfc_preacher":[176],"wpfc_sermon_series":[],"wpfc_sermon_topics":[],"wpfc_bible_book":[],"wpfc_service_type":[],"class_list":["wpfc_preacher-pastor-j-fritsche","wpfc-sermon-single","post-4556","wpfc_sermon","type-wpfc_sermon","status-publish","hentry"],"sermon_audio":"","sermon_audio_duration":"","_views":"10","bible_passage":"John 16:23-33 \u201cMost assuredly, I say to you, whatever you ask the Father in My name He will give you.\u201d This is the Word of the Lord.","sermon_video_embed":"","sermon_video_url":"","sermon_bulletin":"","_featured_url":false,"sermon_date":1748174454,"_sermon_date_auto":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/redeemerlutheranchurch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/wpfc_sermon\/4556","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/redeemerlutheranchurch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/wpfc_sermon"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/redeemerlutheranchurch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/wpfc_sermon"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/redeemerlutheranchurch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/redeemerlutheranchurch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=4556"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"http:\/\/redeemerlutheranchurch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/wpfc_sermon\/4556\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4559,"href":"http:\/\/redeemerlutheranchurch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/wpfc_sermon\/4556\/revisions\/4559"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/redeemerlutheranchurch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=4556"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"wpfc_preacher","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/redeemerlutheranchurch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fwpfc_preacher&post=4556"},{"taxonomy":"wpfc_sermon_series","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/redeemerlutheranchurch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fwpfc_sermon_series&post=4556"},{"taxonomy":"wpfc_sermon_topics","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/redeemerlutheranchurch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fwpfc_sermon_topics&post=4556"},{"taxonomy":"wpfc_bible_book","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/redeemerlutheranchurch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fwpfc_bible_book&post=4556"},{"taxonomy":"wpfc_service_type","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/redeemerlutheranchurch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fwpfc_service_type&post=4556"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}