Category Archives: General

“Whatever you ask the Father in my name . . .” (John 16:23)

On Monday I presented the first installment of a six-part message on the three key words in prayer: “in Jesus’ name.” I want to explore six reasons why praying in Jesus’ name is the key component in the prayers we pray. On Monday we saw that praying in Jesus’ name gives us access to God the Father; today we will see that praying in Jesus’ name gives our prayers power.

Key #2 – Power

Praying in Jesus’ name give us access to the Father, and it puts power in our prayers as well. You see, the Lord Jesus has given us all the right to use His name when we come before the throne of grace, knowing the unlimited power His name carries with it. Because all authority has been given to Jesus by the Father (Matthew 28:18), praying in Jesus name carries with it all of His authority . . . and that is an insuperable power!

Here is a wonderful example of the power of Jesus’ name. Peter and John were on their way to the temple at the hour of prayer in the afternoon. Remember, these two could not even stay awake for one hour to keep watch and pray with Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane on the night He was betrayed; now they are men of prayer.

Peter and John went up together to the temple at the hour of prayer, then ninth hour. (Acts 3:1)

When they arrived at the temple, they encountered a lame man who was carried to the gate of the temple each day to ask for alms from those entering the temple. When this man saw Peter and John, he made his request. Peter replied, “Look at us!” Fully expecting to receive some charity, the man turned to look at the two apostles, and he heard these powerful words that changed the trajectory of his entire existence:

Peter said, “Silver or gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk” (Acts 3:6).

In that instant, this man who had been lame from birth experienced the power of prayer in Jesus’ name. Peter took the lame man by the right hand, helped him up, and immediately the man’s feet and ankles became strong. Then comes my favorite part: This man who had been lame from birth began walking and leaping and praising God! He followed Peter and John into the temple courts, still crying out praises to the God who had healed him.

Remember, there is all the power you need to meet your every need when you pray in Jesus’ name. Have you been accessing it?

This is the Gospel. This is grace for your race. NEVER FORGET THAT . . . AMEN!

“Whatever you ask the Father in my name . . .” (John 16:23)

Inasmuch as we do not have any prayers in the Bible that end with the words “in Jesus’ name,” we do see many other things that take place in Jesus’ name : We heal in the name of Jesus (Acts 3:6); we baptize in the name of Jesus (Acts 2:38); we teach in the name of Jesus (Acts 4:18). The closest thing we see to praying in Jesus’ name is found in our verse for today — the words which Jesus spoke on the night He was betrayed: “Whatever you ask the Father in my name” (John 14:13, 15:16, 16:23). Over the next two weeks, we will examine six reasons why these three words are the key component in the prayers we pray.

Key 1 – Access

The only reason we are heard by the Father is because we pray in the name of His Son, Jesus. Because we trust in Christ alone through faith alone because of His sinless life, sacrificial death, and supernatural resurrection, we have access to the throne of grace 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

When Jesus said, “I am the way” (John 14:6), we are to understand this biblical truth as the key that unlocks the divine door leading to our access to the Almighty Father in heaven. Our Lord was not ambiguous: “No one comes to the Father except through me.”

Through [Jesus] we both have access to the Father by one Spirit. (Ephesians 2:18)

So . . . are you praying “in Jesus’ name,” knowing that you have been granted access to the Father and that your prayers are being heard? Let this truth encourage you to keep on praying in the name of Jesus as you enter into the most holy place, where the Father waits to hear from you in the great name of His Son.

This is the Gospel. This is grace for your race. NEVER FORGET THAT . . . AMEN!

Once when Jacob was cooking some stew, Esau came in from the open country, famished. He said to Jacob, “Quick, let me have some of that red stew! I’m famished!” . . . Jacob replied, “First sell me your birthright.” “Look, I am about to die,” Esau said. “What good is the birthright to me?” But Jacob said, “Swear to me first.” So he swore an oath to him, selling his birthright to Jacob. (Exodus 25:29-33).

How often we are just like Esau in that moment! We settle for far less than God’s best for our lives because we want whatever it is right in front of us right now to fill up some emptiness inside. Rather than fixing our focus on the Only One who can meet our every need, we reach for what we think will make us feel better in the moment.  

Esau traded the lasting, lifelong benefits of his birthright for the immediate and momentary pleasure of a bowl of hot red stew. Impulse caused Esau to satisfy his hunger instantly without giving a moment’s thought to the long-term consequences of his actions. You and I may scoff at Esau, but the same is true for all of us at times. We see something we want, and we grab for it without “counting the cost.” For that moment, we are indeed satisfied, but, more often than not, that instant pleasure leads to lasting pain. Instant gratification can often blind us to the pain that lurks just around the corner.

So what do we do to keep from making the same mistake Esau made? We forsake instant gratification.

The key to doing that is to count the cost, by comparing the short-term pleasure against the long-term pain. We are all just like Esau; we wildly exaggerate what we think we need. Was Esau really going to die from starvation? He had missed a few meals and he was hungry. His sight was blinded by the smell of the food, which eventually dulled his mind to choose instant gratification rather than eternal gain.

You and I can both point to multiple times that we have made the same mistake in our own lives. Here are just a few:

• Trading family time for business success
• Trading good health for the pleasures of food
• Trading exercise for ease
• Trading wants for needs

It is all too easy to fritter away great portions of our lives chasing after things that don’t really matter . . . or worse, things that cause great pain and harm to us and others. By God’s grace, may the testimony of Esau’s not be ours: “He ate and drank and then got up and left” (Genesis 25:34). The rest of the story tells us of the terrible regret Esau felt after he thought through what he had done. At one point, “He burst out with a loud and bitter cry and said to his father, ‘Bless me — me too, my father!'” (Genesis 27:34). The blessing, however, had already been given to another.

A little extra thought on the front end will save us from great pain and regret on the back end. So let us all learn how to forsake instant gratification!

This is the Gospel. This is grace for your race. NEVER FORGET THAT . . . AMEN!

At this, many of his disciples went back and walked no more with him. (John 6:66)

Did you know that good and godly leadership is about following? Yes, leadership is about becoming a follower of One . . . and that One is Jesus Christ. Be blessed as you read on!

Whether we are leading our company, our family, our small group, or just ourselves, we are all leading others. Even when we are not in any kind of obvious leadership role, we can be certain that others are watching us, simply because we have professed our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. If our walk is to match our talk and bring the most glory God and good to others, we must be committed to living as a follower of One.

When we are truly committed to following Jesus, we will go wherever He leads us, unlike the many disciples who deserted Him because His teaching was “hard” (John 6:60). To be sure, there are times when following Him can be difficult. It’s easy to stay in step with Jesus when He is leading us down the path of progress and the sky is blue, the clouds are fleecy, and the sun is shining brightly. But what about those seasons when Jesus leads us down a path that is littered with pitfalls and problems, and the sky grows dark and the storm winds begin to howl? We have a tendency to separate ourselves from Him at those times, thinking that distance will insulate us from the difficulties we are facing. But nothing could be further from the truth! Our Lord has ordained the difficult path for us to walk, and He has committed to walking it with us every step of the way.

Can you imagine what Matthew must have been thinking when Jesus said, “Follow me”? Here was this hated Jewish tax collector, a traitor in the eyes of his countrymen because he had chosen to serve Rome. Matthew was making a ton of money at the expense of his own people and was fully protected by the Roman government. This would be the last person anyone would think Jesus would be interested in leading, and Jesus would be the last person anyone would think Matthew would be interested in following! Yet when the Lord spoke just two words, — “Follow me” — Matthew got up and followed him! (Matthew 9:9). In an instant, Matthew gave up his old life for his new life in Christ. He walked away from a position of prosperity and power and protection to become a follower of the One, which would eventually cost Matthew everything, including his very life.

Who have you been following lately? Remember, we cannot judge the direction in life based on the difficulties we are facing. Jesus leads us down the difficult path because He is more concerned about our holiness than our happiness. Ultimately, of course, He intends for us to be conformed into His image. So don’t turn back! Press in and follow Him.

This is the Gospel. This is grace for your race. NEVER FORGET THAT . . . AMEN!

Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you. (Ephesians 4:32)

I encounter far too many people in the church who are held hostage by unforgiveness. What they need is a dose of Gospel forgiveness that Jesus shared with Peter: seventy times seven. Read on and be greatly encouraged today!

When we withhold forgiveness from others, we are holding on to some of the most damaging and deadly emotions we can experience:  hurt, blame, anger, and revenge. These toxic feelings not only cloud our judgment but discolor every aspect of our lives. I have said many times from the pulpit that unforgiveness does far more damage to the vessel in which it is stored than it does to the object on which it is poured.

When Peter asked Jesus about forgiveness, he knew that the rabbis taught that forgiveness was to be extended to the wrongdoer up to three times. So, Peter being Peter, he doubled that number plus one and suggested to Jesus that perhaps up to seven times should be a sufficient number of times to forgive a brother who had sinned against him. Jesus immediately course-corrected Peter by describing the kind of Gospel forgiveness that Peter had been given by God: “I tell you,” Jesus said to Peter, “not seven times, but seventy-seven times” (Matthew 18:22).

In the 2009 film Invictus, actor Morgan Freeman played the part of Nelson Mandala, who was imprisoned for 27-years, subsequently elected president of South Africa, and faced the daunting task of unifying a country that had been deeply divided by race. In one memorable scene, Mandela/Freeman says firmly, “Forgiveness starts here,” that is, with us. “Forgiveness liberates the soul. It removes fear. That is why it is such a powerful weapon. The past is the past, we look to the future.”

Have you been held hostage by unforgiveness? I think we all have from time to time. The key is to remember how unconditional God’s forgiveness is for us and trust Him for the strength to deliver it to anyone who has wronged us. Now, I am not saying this is easy to do! Some have endured unimaginable pain and hurt from others. That is why forgiveness can only be done in the strength of our Lord. We must never forget how our Lord offered forgiveness to His enemies as He hung on that cross, bleeding and dying for your sins and mine. When we do that, we will be given the strength to forgive even when we would rather not.

Let me close with these words from the 20th-century Christian theologian Lewis B. Smedes, who said, “To forgive is to set a prisoner free and discover that the prisoner was you.”

This is the Gospel. This is grace for your race. NEVER FORGET THAT . . . AMEN!

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. (John 3:16)

We have seen this week how God has loved you always, from eternity past and that He loves you in the present, no matter what. In the final installment of this series, we’ll look at the truth that God will continue to love you in your promised future.

Loved in the Promised Future

Because all of the rest of your life lies in the future, it is absolutely vital to be reminded of God’s continuing love for us throughout that future. We do not know what the future holds, and we certainly cannot control the future, so we must keep our eyes on “the God who holds your breath in His hand and owns all your ways” (Daniel 5:23 NKJV). He is the One who determines our future and has everything in His complete, sovereign control. And there is no better passage of Scripture to assure us about God’s love in our promised future than this promise that the Holy Spirit gave to the apostle Paul:

I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, not any powers, neither height nor death nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:38-39)

Regardless of the details of daily living, including death itself, nothing can or ever will separate us from God’s love. No issue . . . no event . . . no storm . . . no sin . . . nothing can separate us from the love God has for us in Christ Jesus. Think about it this way: God is love, and we can’t have God without having His love. Therefore, if we were to be separated from His love, we would have to be separated from God Himself. And as we just saw from the passage in Romans, that is not possible!

Nobody knew this truth better than the one who penned it. Paul’s Christian life was filled with adversity, and he knew that one day his faith in Jesus would cost him his very life. But he also knew the truth that he was not only eternally loved by God in his past and in his present, he would always be loved by God throughout His promised eternal future.

Remember, God so loved YOU that He sent His Son Jesus to pay the penalty for your sins. Let His love be both a comfort and a challenge – a comfort when the storm winds are blowing and a challenge to keep on keeping on, no matter what trials you are facing in this life. God loves you! He has always loved you . . . He loves you today . . . and He will love you for all eternity. You have His Word on that!

This is the Gospel. This is grace for your race. NEVER FORGET THAT . . . AMEN!

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. (John 3:16)

We’re going to continue looking at God’s love for you throughout this Valentine’s week. On Monday we saw how God has loved you from eternity past; today we will look at the truth that God loves you in the present.

Loved in the Present

Good news: God is not an angry taskmaster who only demonstrates His love when we are doing what we are supposed to do. God is not a concerned coach who demonstrates His love only when we are succeeding in life. God is love, and He loves us no matter what. And there is no better passage of Scripture to demonstrate that truth than this one from the inspired pen of the apostle Paul.

God demonstrates his own love fur us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. (Romans 5:8)

God did not wait for you to get your life cleaned up. God did not wait for you to get right with Him. God the Father sent God the Son to pay the penalty for your sins while you were a rebel on the run away from God and had no love in your heart for Him. If God loved us that much when we were far off from Him — alienated from God and enemies in our minds, as Colossians 1:21 tells us — what would make us think that He does not love us right now, no matter what?

Well . . . there is the accuser of the brethren. The evil one is forever yammering in our minds when we miss the mark in our thoughts, words, deeds, or desires. Satan hisses accusations and insinuations that cause us to doubt God’s love for us. And the only way we can keep from buying into the devil’s slurs is to remember this glorious, divine assertion from Paul’s epistle to the Romans:

There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. (Romans 8:1)

Jesus took our condemnation and nailed it to that cross. He was condemned in our place. And He walked out of His grave and appeared to hundreds of people (1 Corinthians 15:6) to provide proof positive that God the Father was completely satisfied with God the Son’s atoning sacrifice on our behalf. So now there is nothing we can do that will cause God to stop loving us in the present. We are loved in the past and we are loved in the present.

On Friday, we will take a look at God’s love for us in our promised future. Happy Valentine’s Day!

This is the Gospel. This is grace for your race. NEVER FORGET THAT . . . AMEN!

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. (John 3:16)

This being Valentine’s week, I want to use all three of our articles this week to encourage you with the truth of the deepest need of every human heart: a love that will last . I will present this amazing, unwavering love under these three headings: Loved in the Past; Loved in the Present; Loved in the Promised Future. But before you read on, read John 3:16 above once again, but this time, substitute your name for “the world.” Read it aloud . . . and let that truth set you free. “For God so loved . . .” YOU!

Loved in the Past

Because God is eternal and God is love, His love is eternal. That means God has loved you from eternity past. There has never been a time when God did not love you. Take a look at these passages of Scripture that establish this truth beyond a shadow of a doubt.

The Lord appeared to us in the past, saying: “I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with loving-kindness.” (Jeremiah 31:3)

From everlasting to everlasting the Lord’s love is with those who fear him, and his righteousness with their children’s children. (Psalm 103:17)

Give thanks to the God of heaven. His love endures forever. (Psalm 136:26)

Though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed, yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken nor my covenant of peace be removed. (Isaiah 54:10)

He chose us in [Christ] before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will . . . (Ephesians 1:4-5)

The everlasting love that God has lavished on you remains constant throughout every season of life – in good times and in bad . . . for richer and poorer . . . in sickness and in health. And that includes those seasons when you are not demonstrating your love back to God.

Remember, God’s everlasting love loves you always. God’s everlasting love loves you best. God’s everlasting love loves you perfectly. God’s everlasting love loves you most. God’s everlasting love loves you unconditionally. And God’s everlasting love loves you first – “We love because he first loved us” (1 John 4:19).

I’l tell you more about God’s great love for you on Wednesday!   

This is the Gospel. This is grace for your race. NEVER FORGET THAT . . . AMEN!

The Lord your God in your midst, the Mighty One, will save; He will rejoice over you with gladness, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing. (Zephaniah 3:17 NKJV)

When you think about your relationship with Jesus, what comes to mind? Do you see it as Shepherd to sheep . . . King to subject . . . Savior to saint . . . Master to servant? To be sure, there are many different ways to see our relationship with Jesus, but the one I want you to consider today is this: You are precious in His sight (Isaiah 43:4).

When was the last time you saw yourself as precious to Jesus? If it has been a while, take a moment to marinate in and meditate on these biblical truths:

I have engraved you on the palms of my hands. (Isaiah 49:16)

I have loved you with an everlasting love. (Jeremiah 31:3)

God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. (Romans 5:8)

See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God. (1 John 3:1)

From Genesis to Revelation, the Word of God makes it clear that we not only matter to God as a unique creation, His workmanship (Ephesians 2:10), but we are precious to Him. And there is no greater testimony to this truth than the cross on Calvary’s hill. When Jesus willingly took our place on a cruel cross to pay the penalty for our sins, He made it clear we are precious in His sight. In fact, the Bible tells us we were part of “the joy set before Him” (Hebrews 12:2).

Here is another truth for you to absorb: You are not only precious to Jesus when you are doing well and walking worthy of Him; you are still precious to Jesus when the wheels come off the tracks and you run yourself into a ditch. Nothing can ever separate you from the love of God in Christ Jesus – not Satan, not your sin – nothing!

Let that truth strengthen you whenever you are beset by doubts, discouragement, or even despair. Jesus died to live in relationship with you. You are precious in the sight of Jesus. Now, if that doesn’t light the fire of your faith . . . your wood is wet!

This is the Gospel. This is grace for your race. NEVER FORGET THAT . . . AMEN!

In his heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps. (Proverbs 16:9)

If you have been walking with the Lord for any length of time, you have learned from personal experience that the theme of risk and reward is central to the Christian life. Jesus reminded His disciples there is a cost to following Him, and He crystallized that message with the following words:

Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. (Matthew 10:39)

When Jesus spoke of risk and reward, He was addressing an audience that fully understood the cost of being His disciple. The disciples risked a lot to follow Jesus – leaving jobs, security, families, and friends. And here is the key that unlocks the door leading to living a life like those early disciples: Because of what the disciples had witnessed in the life of Jesus, both in His words and His works, they knew whatever they risked was worth the reward. And what was their reward? One reward was eternal life, of course, but it was also everyday life — walking, talking, eating, and living with Jesus. For every disciple who chose to follow Jesus, the reward was well worth the risk.

Christian, search your heart: What are you willing to risk to develop a deeper relationship with Jesus? What are you willing to give up or lose for the privilege of walking with Jesus wherever He is leading you? Throughout the rest of your life, God will set before you opportunities that require you to risk personally, professionally, and relationally. You will have to make the decision whether the reward is worth the risk, but when the reward is more of Jesus, the answer is always “YES!”

And when you breathe your last, your greatest reward will be to stand in the presence of the Almighty and hear Him utter those two most meaningful words: “Well Done!” (Matthew 25:23).

This is the Gospel. This is grace for your race. NEVER FORGET THAT . . . AMEN!