30 Oct Name Tag (Discovering the Power in the Name of Jesus) – Part 4
The Bible tells us in John 16:23-24: “And in that day ye shall ask me nothing, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, he will give it you. Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name; ask and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full.”
What a promise! It sounds too good to be true, but Jesus either meant what He said or the whole Bible is a throw-away! I believe He meant what He said! In essence, Jesus is giving you and me the power of attorney through His name!
Over the last several weeks we have shared with you two major categories of our lesson:
- The name in power…authority.
- The name in prayer…answers.
Under the first category we shared with you “Four Nifty Nuances of the Name”:
1. The significance of the name (Matt. 1:18-21)
2. The superiority of the name (Phil. 2:9-10)
3. The safety in the name (Prov. 18:10)
4. Your status with the name (Mark 16:15-20)
This week, let’s enter into our second category: The name in prayer…answers. What better way to share this with you than to give you “Three Nifty Notorieties about the Name”:
1. Using the name requires relationship (John 13:34-35).
John 13 through John 17 is all one message to disciples. All scripture must be taken in context and Jesus is talking to individuals who are His disciples. The Bible tells us in Proverbs 29:21, “He that delicately bringeth up his servant from a child shall have him become his son at the length.”
In essence, this verse gives us the principle: the deeper the relationship, the deeper the rights. Now please don’t mistake me, I am not talking about working for, earning or deserving the blessing of God. However, practically speaking, the closer you are to me the more privileges you have in my house. The deeper the relationship, the deeper the rights…rights that are not reserved for strangers.
This principle is exemplified in Acts 19:13 when the seven sons of Sceva (I call them the “Scevansons”) tried to use the name of Jesus without the relationship. Remember this, the name without relationship brings no results!
Not only was Jesus talking to disciples, but John 15:7 obviously precedes John 16:23-24. John 15:7 tells us, “If you abide in me and my words abide in you, you can ask what you will and it will be done unto you.” The last part of this verse also sounds too good to be true, but it’s so true…it’s good! However, the first part of the verse is what I call a spiritual child-proof safety cap. It prevents children from asking things outside His Word. Thank God for John 16:23-24, but it must be taken in context of one message to disciples who knew the Word (see also Psalm 138:2)!
2. Your joy should be full before the answer is seen (Mark 11:24).
Before we delve into this, please allow me to give you the Weust translation of John 16:23: “In that day you shall ask me no more questions about anything most assuredly, whatsoever you shall request of the Father He will give it to you in view of all that I am in His estimation.”
Wow! If you ask in Jesus’ name, it’s as if He’s praying to the Father Himself on your behalf! Wow! The Greek word translated “name” is “onamah”. It represnts His character and His accomplishments. When you go to God, never go on your own character or your own accomplishments. Always go in the name of Jesus…i.e. His character and His accomplishments!
Hebrews 4:16 tells us, “Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.” Notice that we can “come boldly to the throne of grace”. The only way I can come boldly to the throne of grace is when I come based on what He has done for me and never what I have done for Him. If I come on my own merit and not His, I inadvertently turn the “throne of grace” into a “throne of judgment”. You force God to acknowledge your accomplishments and merit. While you may have a great track record, heaven only accepts 100% perfection. 99.9% won’t cut it. Only one Person got a 100% test score…Jesus Christ!
When I come in His name, character and accomplishments, and not my own I “obtain mercy and find grace to help in my time of need.”
With that having been said, let’s look at Mark 11:24. Here the Bible tells us, “What things soever you desire, when you pray, believe that you receive them and you shall have them.” Now let’s look back at John 16:24, “Ask and receive that your joy shall be made full.” If you combine these two powerful verses, your joy should be full when you believe you receive…not when you see the answer. How will you know if you “believed you received”? If your joy is made full when you prayed! If you are just as depressed after you’ve prayed, you did not believe you receive!
Many times I have believed I’ve received when I prayed and because I truly believed, my joy was instantly made full. Some time months later, I finally see the manifestation of what I was believing for and it’s almost anti-climactic. People around me are now rejoicing, but my joy was made full when I believed I received!
3. The name and faith and patience (Heb. 6:12).
Why do we need all that joy when we pray? Most manifested answered prayers don’t take place initially. Have you noticed this? It takes faith and patience. Therefore, we need the joy to give us strength to go the whole distance and to go the whole length!
I am a shark fisherman. It has been my hobby for years. Many truly big sharks I have caught at one point, have felt like they have gotten off the hook. This is because a shark can swim faster than I can reel. However, if I just stay patient and keep on reeling, invariably the shark will still be there and before you know it…I have a “manifested” shark! When your joy is full it will give you the strength to keep on reeling until you see the manifested answer!
Remember, “all that Jesus is, in God’s estimation”!