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John 16:23-27  PRAYING IN THE NAME OF JESUS

Introduction:

	As Jesus and His disciples traveled from Jerusalem
toward the Garden of Eden, Jesus continued to try to get His
disciples prepared for what is ahead.  He speaks words of
encouragement and instruction to them.
	In this text He speaks about the help that would be
available to them by praying in His name to God the Father.
He was not just telling them to pray.  He was telling them
to pray in His name.

I.  The time when Jesus would no longer be around to help

	V. 23, "And in that day ye shall ask me nothing..."
That day or that time that Jesus was talking about would be
is that time after He would go back to heaven.  In that time
they would not be able to go bodily and physically to Jesus
and tell Him about their need.  In the past whenever the
disciples had need or a problem or wanted an explanation
about spiritual matters, they would come to Jesus and talk
to Him about the matter.  If they lacked supplies, they
would come to Jesus.  If they faced some other kind of
problem, they would come to Jesus for help.  If they did not
understand something about religious matters they would ask
Jesus.  If Jesus said something publicly which they did not
understand, they would come to Him in private and ask Him to
explain.  Whatever their need was they came to Jesus and
Jesus always took care of their problem.
	But after Jesus would return to heaven they would not be
able to run to Him for help or for explanation.  What Jesus
wanted them to do was to carry their problems to God the
Father in heaven through prayer.

II.  The privilege of calling on God in prayer and the need
	of praying in the name of Jesus

	But He wanted them to do more than pray.  He instructed
them to pray to God the Father in His name.  (V. 23),
"Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall ask the
Father in my name, he will give it you."  If they should
have a material need, they should ask God the Father in His
name and God the Father would supply their need.  If they
had some other kind of problem, they should pray to God the
Father in His name and God the Father would help them with
their problem.  If they needed help in understanding some
spiritual matter, then God the Father would see to it that
they got the help that they needed.
	V. 24, "...Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name..."
Up to this time the disciples had never prayed to God the
Father in the name of Jesus.  It is almost certain that they
had prayed to the Father many time.  In the very early days
of His minsitry they had come to Him saying, "Lord, teach us
how to pray.  John the Baptist taught his disciples how to
pray and we want you to teach us how to pray."  It was in
response to that request that Jesus had given them the Model
Prayer, which is mistakenly called "The Lord's Prayer."  It
was not the Lord's prayer to GAod.  It was a model which the
Lord gave so that His disciples could learn to pray
acceptably to God the Father.
	But in the early days of His ministry Jesus never
instructed His disciples to pray in His name -- not even in
the Model Prayer.  There is no record in any of the
Scriptures which speak about the early ministry of Jesus in
which Jesus instructed His disciples to about pray to God
the Father in His name.
	It was not until the time that His arrest was near at
hand that Jesus instructed them to pray in His name.  The
first record of such instruction was given earlier in the
very same night in which the words of our text were spoken.
The record is found back in John 14:13-14.  There Jesus told
them for the first time to pray in His name.  Let us look
back and read those verses.  "And whatsoever ye shall ask in
my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in
the Son.  If ye shall ask anything in my name, I will do
it," John 14:13-14.
	Now in our text Jesus gives a similar instruction this
same night.  The instruction is repeated for emphasis.  He
wanted to make sure that they get His message.  He would not
be around much longer so that they can come physically to
Him with their needs.  Even after His resurrection He would
not be around very long.  He wanted them to know, however,
that this would not mean that they would be without help.
Nor does it mean that when they do not understand some
spiritual matter that they would will be without a source of
information.  They would be able to pray to God the Heavenly
Father and they woluld find the help that they need.
	Nor does it mean that Jesus would not be involved in
getting the help that they need.  They woulld pray to God
the Father, but they would not ask the Father's help based
on their own merit.  They would ask in Jesus's name.  That
is, they would ask the Father to give them the help they
need for Jesus's sake.  Then when God the Father would grant
their request and answer their prayer, the request would not
be granted based on the merit of the disciples who pray, but
on the merit of Jesus Christ the Son of God, in whose name
the request was made.
	(V. 24), "...ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy
may be full."  Jesus said, "Ask!"  If they have a material
need they were to ask.  Yet they are not to ask Jesus.  They
were to ask God the Father.  Jesus did not instruct them to
pray to Him.  He told them to pray to God the Father.  But
they were to pray in Jesus's name and for Jesus' sake.
	That is, they were not to pray just to satisfy their own
selfish greed.  They were not to pray just in order to enjoy
the worldly pleasures of the world.  They were to pray for
Jesus's sake and Jesus promises that for Jesus's sake their
prayers would be answered and their own hearts and souls
would be full of joy.

III.  Help also available in understanding spiritual things

	V. 25, "These things have I spoken unto you in
proverbs..."  Up to this time most of the things that the
disciples had heard Jesus speak were spoken in proverbs.
That is, they were difficult to understand.  They would not
just immediately know what He was talking about.  They would
have to spend time thinking about what He had said.  Then
eventually, they those who had a deeper insight into
spiritual truths would get what He meant, but others would
not.
	Do you ever get the feeling as you read the words of
Jesus in Scripture that it is difficult for you to
understand what He meant by what He said?  Well, bless your
heart, you are not alone.  Those disciples felt that way.
Jesus knew they felt that way.  But Jesus had good reason
for speaking as He did.  In public He often spoke in
parables or proverbs because He wanted those who were
willing to believe in Him to get His message, yet at the
same time those who were not willing to believe would not
understand what He was talking about.
	Even in private He sometimes spoke to His own disciples
in words difficult to understand.  He wanted them put to use
the brains that He had given them.  Then He wanted them to
experience the joy of learning the truth when they finally
understood what He as talking about.
	(V. 25), "...but the time cometh, when I shall no more
speak unto you in proverbs, but I shall show you plainly of
the Father."  Note that Jesus said, "...but the time will
come."  That brings up a question.  When would that time
come?  It would come after His crucifixion, after His
resurrection and after His ascension back to heaven.  Jesus
had already told them that after He returns to heaven that
the Holy Spirit would be sent upon them and that the Holy
Spirit would cause them to recall all the things He had
taught them.  The difference is that the Holy Spirit would
furnish them with a lot of details that Jesus had not given
them during His ministry on earth.  Through the Holy Spirit
Jesus would expound to them the great truths of God in a
much clearer way than that which He had given to them in
parables and proverbs.  Through the Holy Spirit Jesus would
reveal to them plainly the plans and purposes of God the
Father.

IV.  Help from our Mediator in heaven

	V. 26, "At that day ye shall ask in my name: and I say
not unto you, that I will pray the Father for you."  In this
statement we have a classic example of those things
difficult to understand which Jesus has said.  At first, you
might get the impression that Jesus said that He would not
pray to the Father on their behalf.  But that most certainly
is not what He meant.  It couldn't be.  In I Timothy 2:5
Jesus is said to be the Mediator between God and men.  In
Hebrews 7:25 it is said that He ever lives to make
intercession for those that come unto God by Him.  Jesus
does go to the Father and make reqauests for His people.
	What Jesus is said here is that He would not take the
time at this point to elaborate on the fact that He would be
praying for them.  But He did imply that He would be praying
for them.  In essence here is what He is saying to His
disciples:  "I will not always be bodily here on earth to
take care of your needs and problems.  I will not always be
here to make explanation of spiritual matters and to keep
them informed on spiritual truths.  But I will always be
there in heaven and I will always be listening as you pray
to God the Heavenly Father.  Then I will talk over your
request with God the Father and if it is an acceptable
request I will personally ask the Father to grant your
request.

V.  The FAther willing to help because of His love for them

	V. 27, "For the Father himself loveth you..."  What an
encouragement this is!  What an encouragement to the
disciples to go to God the Father in prayer!  Jesus said,
"You need not be hestitant to go to God the Fatherwith your
requests.  God loves you!  He is anxious for you to come to
Him and to ask Him to supply your material needs.  He is
anxious for you to come to Him for help with the problems
that you face in life.  He is anxious for you to come to Him
for a greater understanding of spiritual matters.  He loves
you and He wants to help you.
	Then Jesus added:  (V. 27), "...because ye have loved me
and have believed that I came out from God."  That is, "He
loves you because you have loved me."  He could have added
that God loved them before they learned to love Jesus.  God
loved then while they were yet enemies to Jesus.  He loved
them when they were steeped in sin.  He loved them when they
were lost in sin and He took the initiative to win them to
Jesus for salvation.  Jesus was sent to this earth to go to
the cross and die for them that they might be saved.  God
sent the Holy Spirit to them to convict them of their sin.He
sent John the Baptist to them to tell them about Jesus so
that they could be saved.  He loved them then when they were
lost in sin and He loves them even more now that they are
saved.  God has a special love for all who have believed the
gospel message and have trusted in Jesus Christ for
salvataion.

VI.  What Jesus is saying to us through this text

	I have been talking to you about what Jesus had to say
to those disciples who were with Him that night nearly 2000
years ago.  Now I want to talk to you about what Jesus has
to say to us here in this congregation through the words of
our text.  If there is anybody here who is unsaved Jesus is
saying to you that God loves you and wants you to be saved.
That was the reason that Jesus was going to the cross.  He
was going there to suffer and to pay the sin debt for all
mankind so that all could be saved.  If you will trust Jesus
Christ as your Savior then Jesus will save your soul.  He
will make sure that you get to heaven.  One thing is sure.
You are going to spend eternity somewhere.  You had better
make sure that you spend it with God in heaven.
	If you are already saved then Jesus is saying to you
that God the Heavenly Father loves you with a special love.
He loves you even more than He did while you were lost.  He
loves you with a special love because you trusted in His Son
Jesus Christ and now you love Jesus.
	Because God loves you with a special love, He is anxious
for you to come to Him and talk to Him about your material
needs of life.  But God does not want you coming to Him
asking for a whole big bunch of material things just so that
you can waste your life on worldly pleasures.  Yet God does
want you to come to Him and ask Him to supply those things
that you genuinely need.
	But let me remind you that when you pray to God and ask
God for things you should ask in Jesus's name.  If God
answers your prayer it will be for Jesus's sake that Jesus
may get the glory and honor.  Let me also toss this
suggestion in for good measure.  You ought to be thankful to
God for what He has already done for you in taking care of
your material need.  He has already done a lot for you or
you would not have lived to be here today.  Be thankful.
	God loves you and wants you to come to Him in prayer for
help with the other problems that you face in life.  If you
have a physical illness and you need help then come to God
with your need.  Come and ask of God the Father.  Ask in
Jesus's name.  Do not ask God thinking that God owes it to
you to help you.  God doesn't owe us anything.  But ask God
for His mercy.  There are a lot of people who are alive
today because they called on God for help who would
otherwise be dead.  Don't hesitate to ask God for help.
	God loves you and wants you to come to Him no matter
what your problem is and no matter how big your problem is.
God is always ready to listen.  And He is very merciful.
	Let me say to all of you that we are somewhat in the
same boat that those disciples were about to be in.  We are
in a great big world that is filled with a lot of trouble
and turmoil and we need the help of God to get us through.
We do not have the Son of God here on earth in body form so
that we can walk up to Him and call on Him for help.  But we
do have the privilege of calling upon God the Father in
heaven.  And we know that God loves us.  Furthermore we have
	Jesus Christ the Son of God going to bat for us in
heaven pleading our case for us, interceding to God the
Father on our behalf.  And we know also that Jesus loves us.
Both God the Father and Jesus Christ His Son love us.
	Still in addition to that, we have the Holy Spirit of
God whom God sends right here where we live to go to bat for
us.  He is right here in the world with us.  He is right
here with us in our church in a special way.  He is even on
the inside of those who are born again.  He lives there on
the inside every day.  He, too, loves us and stands ready to
help us upon instructions from God the Father.
	God the Father loves us.  Jesus Christ the Son of God
loves us.  God the Holy Spirit loves us.  Let me tell you
that we have some mighty powerful Friends.  Let us not
hesitate to call on God for help.  Let us not be afraid of
whatever there is ahead.  Humanly speaking I can understand
why anyone would fear the things that are ahead of us.  But
when we consider the Friends we have in High Places I say to
you that there is no real reason for us to fear.  Let us
take comfort in knowing that God is our friend.