God Works through the Name of Jesus (John 14:8-15)
Bible tells us to pray for anything in the name of Jesus Christ. Pray about all your thoughts and emotions, then God will work. When you’re afraid, when you lack power or abilities, pray in the name of Jesus Christ and God will work. What does it mean to pray in the name of Jesus? It means to pray in the name of Jesus Christ with the words of Jesus.
Let us bless one another, Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God. I hope that God’s great working of the Spirit of God will be upon all the families and individuals who are worshipping in the church, in their homes, and those out of state. Last week, God gave us the answer that the reason our hearts should not be troubled is because we believe in God and in Jesus Christ.
Our troubles don’t go away because we try everything to try to get rid of them; they go away because we believe in Jesus Christ, and in the midst of that, Jesus Christ continuously tells His disciples that He’s going to go away somewhere, and the disciples are afraid, wondering where Jesus will go instead of staying with them.
They’ve followed Jesus Christ, giving up everything in their lives, and now He says He’s going away, so they’re afraid. It’s like a child who is terrified when their mom goes away, even though their mom will come back. They ask, “Where are you going to go?” Jesus says He is going to prepare a place for us in heaven, but He is going to come back. The disciples asked, “Where is the way? If it is the way for us to see God, show us the Father as well.” This is the background of the Word that we read today.
Philip asks, “Show us the Father. Jesus, if you have seen the Father, then show us the Father as well.” Jesus is giving us a few answers from this question. The Lord is saying that He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life.
- How Can You Know God?
Do you think there is a way on this earth to get to God? In other words, is there a way on this earth so that we can see heaven? Is there true happiness on this earth? The people in the world say that human ideologies, works, and religions are the way, but Jesus Christ is saying that He is the Way and the Truth, meaning there are many other lies. Anything that isn’t Jesus is a lie.
Don’t you think the education of the world is true? It might be correct; however, it is not the truth that allows us to live our lives. “Oh, but this person is so honest,” but God is saying he is a sinner as well. What is the characteristic of a sinner? They reject God, the fact that Jesus is Lord, but they are so honest. The Lord calls this person a sinner because the honesty of a man cannot be truth.
But people live their lives thinking their greatest thoughts will allow them to live the greatest level of life, so they live in whatever way benefits them. Because they think they are the greatest, they live their lives based on the standard of what will be of benefit to themselves. They walk this path because they think choosing this direction will lead them to success, but the Lord is telling us that that is a lie.1) Jesus Christ
Only Jesus is the Truth. There is nothing true other than Jesus. All the things of the world, the words that people say based on the standards of the world and of people, are not the Truth. That is why the thoughts governed by the physical things is death. What are thoughts? Good thoughts or bad thoughts, it doesn’t matter; everything is death because they cannot save our lives. That is why, even if someone like Buddha lives a good life, they are dead, and even though they follow the rules of religion, they are dying because Jesus Christ is life and there is no way to live other than Jesus Christ.
That is why it is only Jesus Christ, there is nothing other than that. The Jewish people said they do believe in God, but Jesus is saying, “I am God,” and seeing Jesus and believing in Jesus is believing in God, so even though they have seen God Himself, they ask Him to show them the Father.
2) Jesus Christ is the Standard
God moves everything according to the standard of Jesus Christ, so if you’ve seen Jesus, you’ve seen God. Where is God? Seeing Jesus is seeing God, that is the Word that God is telling us. People pray and say, “If I pray, can You please show me the face of God?” I’ve seen people like that, “If I just see the face of God, I will believe,” but even if God does show His face, they will not believe; they will always be in unbelief. If these people face a problem, they will fall into their problems.
3) Through Faith
In John 14:10, Jesus says, “Don’t you believe that I am in the Father and that the Father is in Me?” Jesus Christ came to the earth in the form of a human and converses with His disciples, and when they ask to see the Father, He says, “Don’t you believe that the Father is inside me?” The Truth isn’t far away; Jesus Christ is the Truth. That is why in John 14:10, Jesus Christ says, “The Words I say to you, I do not speak on my own authority; rather, it is the Father who has given them to Me, and whatever work I am doing is the work that the Father is doing.”
If you look at the Old Testament but you do not see Jesus Christ, then you do not see God. If you are living your life but you don’t see only Jesus Christ in your life, that is not the work of God. It is the same lie that unbelievers in the world will live, where they live diligently without believing in God, but they crumble. Jesus Christ is telling people to believe Him, and the fact is that the work that Jesus Christ does is the work that the Father does.
- One Who Believes in Jesus Christ
In John 14:11, Jesus says, “Believe Me when I say I am in the Father and the Father is in Me.” These disciples say they believe in God, so He tells them, “Believe in Jesus Christ to believe in God.” That’s what it means to believe in God.
Then in John 14:12, He says, “Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing.” Jesus Christ came to this earth and said many things and did many things, but all of that were the words of God the Father and the work of the Holy Spirit within Him, but if we end it at that, it has nothing to do with us.
If I believe in Jesus Christ, then the Triune God lives within me, giving me His Word and doing His work through me, and it says they will do even greater things than these because Jesus Christ came in the form of a human being, so He could only travel so far outside of Jerusalem, but we can do works even greater than that.
Is the work you are doing the work of God, or is it your own work? If it is your own work, you will be heavily burdened without rest or peace in your heart. However, if the Triune God is doing His work through you, then you will not be weary with heavy burdens; instead, you will have the freedom and peace that comes with being with God. Jesus Christ gives us this promise in John 14:12 because He is going to the Father.
2) Use the Name of Jesus
Then, how can we do the work of God? By volunteering very diligently or racing towards evangelism and missions? Unbelievers can do that work as well, they can volunteer as much as they want for their own benefit, and they’ll even be able to give up their lives for somebody else, even the country. But there are many situations where we misunderstand that as the work of God.
How does God work through us? You have to know that in order to know what work God has done in my life and what work God will do through me. How does God work? It’s in John 14:13, Jesus says, “I will do whatever you ask in My name.” He means to pray in the name of Jesus Christ. If someone does not pray, they have no choice but to be worried with heavy burdens, and if you have heavy burdens in your heart, you will be mentally oppressed as well.
A person might be anxious, but some people are anxious even though there is no reason to be anxious. It’s possible that somebody might feel a little sad when it rains, but there are some people who are depressed regardless of their circumstances. If somebody sees something frightening, they will be afraid, but some people suffer from panic attacks from out of nowhere.
A person might be sensitive if they endured something that causes them to become sensitive, but there are some who are always sensitive. The characteristic is that they cannot hold their temper; they will attack other people with their words or even go as far as killing them with a gun. Why? Because they cannot endure, but why? It is because they do not know the work of God.
Our abilities only go so far as killing other people. Are we talking about me right now? As I was preparing this message, I came to the conclusion that I’m a murderer; I’m so good at murdering, and if someone says something to me, I’ll think, “Whom can I kill first?”
Our very nature and essence is murdering other people because their father is the devil. Moreso than thinking about saving other people, we naturally think about killing others. When we see other people, instead of first thinking, “I should save this person,” my first thought is, “How do I compete with this person? How do I win? How do I crush that person?” I don’t even notice that I do this.
Is it just me? God is saying that every human is like that, because your father is the devil, a murderer, so the nature of our original sin continues to remain within us. Therefore, it is impossible to save anyone unless it is by the work of the Holy Spirit, and as I was praying this morning, that thought poured into me, “I will never say words that kill.” But even if I make that resolution, it doesn’t happen like that. Unless God works upon me, I am constantly killing. That is our skill.That is why Jesus said, “I will do whatever you ask in My name,” God must do it in order for something to come alive. And no matter how hard we try, even if we try our best, we cannot save others. We always make excuses, we’re always anxious, and we’re always afraid, and we only pretend to be strong to try to hide our fear. Why?
God must do it in order for something to come alive. Even if we try our best, we cannot save others.
Jesus Christ tells us to pray in the name of Jesus Christ so that the Father will be glorified through the Son, and anyone who prays in the name of Jesus Christ will give glory to God the Father. How do we give glory to God? If you pray for anything in the name of Jesus Christ, God will receive that glory. We are living for the glory of God, and the way we do that is by praying in the name of Jesus Christ.
The Bible tells us to pray for anything in the name of Jesus Christ. Pray about all your thoughts and emotions, then God will work. When you’re afraid, then pray. When God works, that will change your life into peace. Are you lacking power or abilities? Pray in the name of Jesus Christ and God will work. That is the method God is working in me.
3) What Is the Meaning of Praying with the Name of Jesus?
Somebody who doesn’t pray is not able to glorify God and is unable to overcome their own limitations. He says to pray for anything in Jesus’ name, so if you pray for a second earth, will God answer that? If you pray, “God, I want to live until 500 years old, and You promised to give me whatever You ask if I pray in the name of Jesus Christ, so make me live until 500 years old.” Can you pray in the name of Jesus Christ, “Give me an IQ of 200?” That’s not what He means.
What does it mean to pray in the name of Jesus? It means to pray in the name of Jesus Christ with the words of Jesus. When Trump says He’s giving you the authority to sign things in his name, it means you can sign for things within his word already. Then how do you think God will act? He says, “Seek anything that is within the Word of the Lord, and God will do the work.”
In John 10:15, Jesus says, “If you love me, keep my commands.” The commands refer to God’s Word. Whenever we hold onto God’s Word and pray in the name of Jesus Christ, God says, “This is the one who loves Me.” The people who love the world will live according to their own thoughts, but those thoughts lead to death. The words of God are spirit and life. That is the one who loves God.
Who is the one who loves? The one who prays holding onto the words of Jesus Christ in the name of Jesus Christ is beloved by God. This is why Jesus asks Simon Peter, “Do you love Me?” To what extent should we love God? Are you going to hold onto God’s Word and pray? Then that’s good.
Even if you’re weak, it doesn’t matter to God at all. Your strength will not be able to overcome God’s strength. But there is nobody who can stop the one who can hold onto the Word of God and prays in the name of Jesus Christ.
- Work that the Triune God Does
The evidence that the Triune God is with me, working in me right now, is that I will pray in the name of Jesus Christ while holding onto God’s Word and I will be thankful in everything because God is doing His work. If you don’t know this, you’ll have to do your own work and your mind, body, and spirit will be worn down.
That’s the reason why people who live without the strength of God will have mental problems, they become too sensitive because they don’t have strength. What happens when someone has strength? They’ll say, “Okay,” and move on. If someone is weak and the weather becomes cold, they become cold meaning they do not have strength.
Someone walks by and says something in passing, but if a person doesn’t have strength, they’ll hold onto those words for the rest of their life. “Why did that person say this to me? What did they mean?” They’re caught up by it, but if you’re able to let those words pass by you, it’s evidence that you are strong.
If you’re always mulling things in your head, ultimately you start hating that person and you want to kill them, and you actually die together. That is why we’re so good at killing, but God is doing the work of saving. If you pray in the name of Jesus Christ, God will do the work of saving.
1) Fulfill the Covenant
There are many Words of God, but what Word must you hold onto and pray in the name of Jesus Christ in order for God to work? Do you have to memorize all 66 books of the Bible? The 66 books of the Bible say one thing, that Jesus is the Christ. What does it mean for Jesus to be the Christ? It means Jesus Christ finished everything when He died on the cross, and everything is finished. When you hold onto that promise and pray in the name of Jesus Christ, God does the work.
What did He finish? Our sin. What is our sin? The original sin of wanting to be separated from God, that has been solved in the name of Jesus. But fundamentally, we still have the nature of that original sin, so we’re always trying to leave God. In that state of being separated from God spiritually, we commit consequential sins, so there is a singular “sin” and there are consequential “sins.” Singular “Sin” is fundamentally trying to be separated from God, and as a result of that “Sin,” there are many “sins” we commit consequentially.
We still have the nature of Original Sin, so we’re always trying to leave God. In that state of being separated from God spiritually, we commit consequential sins.
The sins we commit are those we commit between people, in our families and jobs, etc. Where does that come from? It comes because we have been separated from God, but that is the problem Jesus Christ finished, and God fulfills His promise to anyone who holds onto that promise of Jesus Christ and prays in the name of Jesus, because God absolutely promised us.
But we don’t believe in His promise. When we face a problem, we go into that problem, but when we face a problem, we should go into the answer that makes the problem not a problem. The pandemic might be a problem, but I have to remain within the answers of Jesus Christ that say it is not a problem, and I pray in the name of Jesus Christ that I have finished everything already.You believe in Jesus Christ, but you don’t, because when we face a problem, we fall deeper into that problem, so we use humanism. LA is so hard to live in, why? Because the cost of living is so high and the people who own property must pay so much tax, but does God make mistakes? Does that mean it will be easier to live if you move to Texas? Why is it better to live in Texas? The taxes are lower. Does that mean God has power in Texas but has no strength in Los Angeles? You’re always making excuses.
Such people always try to use humanism. The Lord has already finished everything, but they don’t believe. That person has a lot to complain about even when they go to heaven, “Why is heaven like this?”
I asked my daughter, “Let’s go worship,” because she has to worship every time I go,” and I said, “In heaven, we will worship every day.” She said, “Every day?” She wants to play, she doesn’t want to worship, and at her age, that’s fine; but if you become older and say the same words as a child, it’s very difficult. You’ll say, “Again?” In heaven, we worship 24 hours a day, and we enjoy heaven here. There are no excuses.
Christ finished all problems. Is the living expenses too high? Then God will work according to your expenses; God is the One Who has power. Are the taxes high here? God knows that and works accordingly. But if you continuously say words that come from unbelief, then you will be wary with the heavy burdens you store for yourself, and you will relay them to your kids.
2) Confirm God’s Covenant with Faith
What is the covenant that God has given us? It is the covenant of the Kingdom of God where God is ruling. I do not rule over myself, but God rules over me through His Word. What is the evidence that God is with me? He is with me through His Word.
As evidence that God is living and alive right now, He is with me through His Word right now. Are you confused about what you must do in the field? God will give you evidence that He is with you by giving you His Word. There is no reason for your own words; the words of God must go into you.
As evidence that He is alive, with you, He gives you His Word. If you don’t know what you have to do, then God will work upon you with His Word. You hold onto that promise and pray in the name of Jesus Christ. As evidence that God is with you, the Word goes into you because the Word of God heals us, the Word of God makes everything possible. The Word of God can even heal our body and spirit, that’s in Hebrews 4:12.
There is no reason for your own words; the words of God must go into you. If you don’t know what to do, then God will work upon you with His Word. Hold onto that promise and pray in the name of Jesus Christ.
3) Works of the Triune God
What is the other covenant that God has given us? The working of the Holy Spirit. In other words, when you pray holding onto the covenant of the Triune God, God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit, then the Triune God will work upon you when you pray in the name of Jesus Christ. Believe in that.
There are a lot of words, but all those words are contained within this covenant. Today, when you pray in the name of Jesus Christ, do so in the Word of God. Then, no problem is a problem to me. No crisis is a crisis to me because the Lord has finished everything on the cross already. Whenever you hold onto that covenant and pray in the name of Jesus Christ, God works, and as evidence that God the Father is with us, He gives us His Word. Because God gives us His Word, we’re able to move. “What do I say to this person?” God will give you the words. God gives you the word as evidence that God is with you.
The One Who has authority on heaven and on earth says in Mark 16:15 that He will give us the evidence that He is with us by giving us His Word, and as evidence that the Father God is with me, I proclaim the word. That is the evidence that will save other people. God gives me His Word and makes me relay that Word.
“What am I supposed to do here?” God will give me the Word, but there are some people who continue to interpret the Word of God however they want to. “God wants us to love one another? I don’t like that,” so they throw it away. Then they’re always afraid, and that’s why you always have to have word forum with the servants of the Lord.
It’s because you’re interpreting the Word however you want, then do you know what will happen? You’ll have things like the Unification Church. Do you know how they interpret the Word? They interpret it sexually, they say if you commit a sin, they think of it as a sexual sin, and that is why these heresies come out.
Look at the Jewish people who interpret the Word with the legal interpretation. The reason why God gave us the law is to lead us to the Gospel, but they only hold onto the law itself. That’s why the disciples of Jesus Christ follow His Word.
Why do you think God raised up servants of the Lord and theologians? It’s so that we don’t escape from the Word. If you know your theology, then you know whether your interpretation is within the Word of God or not, so whenever you make a decision, you have to ask the pastor. Of course, God will give you confirmation as well, but you don’t know whether that’s a confirmation that comes from yourself or not.
So, you ask, and if everybody agrees that that is the right thing to do, then that is God’s will, but somebody who is weak in their faith will only interpret the Word of God in a way that is convenient for themselves. That is very dangerous. God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit is our covenant, and when we pray holding onto that covenant in the name of Jesus Christ, God works.
That is why you need to raise up your state so that you’re able to hold onto God’s Word properly. If you keep only eating convenient, fast foods, your health will deteriorate. You need to be able to take food from a variety of sources.
Conclusion
- Triune God is with Me
Then, how is the Triune God going to realistically work in the present, through myself and the Church? That is why when you pray, holding onto the prayer topics of the church, God works. Therefore, if you don’t know the prayer topics of the church, you’re not a church member because you cannot do the work of God.
But why does our church exist here? Because God’s will is for us to save this region, and for anyone who holds onto that prayer topic and prays, God will work. What is that? Through Temple construction, we will save lives. We pray for the region to save lives because God does the work of saving, and when you hold onto that covenant and pray in the name of Jesus Christ, God works through me.
In anything else, you can work as hard as you want, but it has nothing to do with God. Even unbelievers are working diligently as well, but all of their effort is futile. It is an effort that lacks God; that is why their effort is futile.
Then, we need to pray for our businesses and schools as well, because the Word of the promise of God must go within your work and studies, so when you pray in the name of Jesus Christ, God works. If that doesn’t take place, you’re doing the work of unbelievers. God says He will do His work through those who pray, holding onto the name of Jesus.
Why are you working and studying? You do all that to save people. You’re not doing that so you can eat and survive; God says He will take care of that. Whenever you pray holding onto the mission of saving lives, God says He will work through your work and studies.
It doesn’t matter if you’re weak. It doesn’t matter what circumstances you face, because God says He will work. Joseph went in as a slave, but he held onto the covenant and prayed and God worked upon his field. A slave is not just a slave, but they can be instruments through which God can work. Then, God sent Joseph to prison, and many people would think that this person has failed in their life, but God began to work in that person.
- Pray with the Covenant of God’s Word
Therefore, for the ones who know this covenant, nothing is a problem for them. If you already talk a lot and have a lot of excuses, you’re standing in the line of a problem. Even if you die, you’re going to talk a lot, and even as you live, you’ll talk a lot, and that’s evidence that God isn’t working in you. If God is working in you, you’ll be talking about God’s works.
The words of Jesus are the words of God, and Jesus told us we can do even greater works than He did. The God Who lives within me will carry out His work through the words that come out of my mouth, and through the works that God does through me. That’s why nothing is a problem.
For people who have strength, all the things in their past become a blessing for the future, but as evidence that you don’t have strength, all the mistakes of your past remain as mistakes and failures. Look at those who have strength. When the power of the Holy Spirit comes upon you, nothing is a problem, but if you don’t have that, you’ll only say words that are correct in the present reality.
“Oh, that person makes my life hard.” Those words are correct; you suffer because you do not have strength. “The living expenses here are too high,” that is correct, but is God dead? It means you don’t have strength. Because you don’t have strength, you’re always being chased around by money or your circumstance, and that’s what you call the life of a slave.
You run away to escape from your environment, or you’re trying to escape in a way that will benefit you. Those words may be correct; however, you will always be enslaved by America. Do you know what a slave is? What is a slave? They are not able to overcome their circumstances; they have no choice but to follow their circumstances and the works of the devil. They are not able to overcome the limitations of their thoughts, but they go into them.
But the one who has strength will be able to change them. “This might be correct; however, God works and everything will change.” Is your husband a problem? It is a problem because he’s always drinking alcohol; those words are correct, but if you have strength, you’ll change. Because you have no strength, you always complain and are resentful.
If you have strength, you can change all the scars and mistakes of your past. If you become the President of the United States, then everything you endured in the past is no longer a scar; it becomes a blessing. If you have the strength, then everything that happened in the past is no longer a scar; it becomes a blessing. But because we don’t have that strength, we are saying correct and smart words, you’re saying logical and academic words instead of saying you don’t have strength.If you have strength, you can change all the scars and mistakes of your past. Everything that happened in the past is no longer a scar; it becomes a blessing.
If you have the strength of God, will the future be a problem? No, you will change the future, and nothing is a problem for the one who has strength. When you pray, God promised that the Holy Spirit would work and God promised that God will be with you in power and authority, meaning you’ll be able to pull people and power in all your circumstances. That is the power God has given us.
- God Works to Save Lives
If you don’t have the strength to change the field wherever you happen to be, then you’ll be a slave wherever you happen to go. For people who hold onto the covenant and pray, they will change their field and family line. Without God, how can you overcome? How can anything stand against the work of God? Nothing can. That one person will save their family and region.
Do not misunderstand. If you look at yourself, you’ll be in trouble, so that is why you pray in the name of Jesus Christ and God will work; that is the blessing God has given us. Nothing is a problem. That is why when you pray in the name of Jesus Christ, holding onto the word God has given you, the Holy Spirit works upon you and the word will always be fulfilled. Just like Samuel, no word he spoke fell to the ground.
If the words you speak at your business are always fulfilled, then everybody has to follow you. The words Joseph spoke to Pharaoh were fulfilled in Egypt, so all of Egypt had to follow Joseph. Our God gives us that evidence. It’s okay even if you’ve learned a lot or not. If you have learned a lot, that’s great; if you haven’t learned a lot, that’s better. It’s okay if you’re old or young. It’s good even if you’re in LA or Texas.
But the fact that you say, “If I live here…” that’s a problem. Where can you go where God’s works will take place? You’re a slave, a person who falls into their problems. When the pandemic comes, they say it’s not going to work out; that’s someone who doesn’t have God, because God is working even in the problems, and God is continuing to fulfill His work for the one who is praying in the name of Jesus Christ, holding onto the covenant.
That is why you need a quiet time in the morning when you can pray to God by yourself, and I hope that you will pray for all the people you will meet and all the business that you have to do today, then God will work in advance, but you don’t do that. Why don’t you do that? Because you say you can live according to your own ability, then you’ll never be able to live beyond your standard or level.
“Why do I pray for the worship? I can just get the Word,” but that’s not enough. I have to work according to the level that God works. “This will not take place unless God works. God must work.” Do you think that people don’t pray because they don’t know how to live in the world? God has to work because God has to do His work through me, and that is why the person who prays is the one who loves God.
Through your prayers, God receives glory, in whose name? In Jesus’ name, and that is why we pray in Jesus’ name. Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life, and nothing is a problem. You stay in the place where you are, and you flip everything around. There is no reason for you to move around, but stay in the place you are.
If your situation is hard right now, when you go somewhere else, it will be difficult there as well because this is evidence that you don’t have the power to overcome. God will give me that evidence and do that work. Christians, do not have any complaints or resentments; they say “Yes,” and God will do His work there.
If your job is facing a crisis, I hope you will save that business through God. Is there a lot of hatred in America? Then God wants you to save America through Jesus. If the president is a problem, God wants to save the president through you. The one who prays holding onto that covenant will see the works that God is doing.
Nothing is a problem because God is doing the work, and if you pray in the name of Jesus, holding onto God’s work, then God will continue to do that work very well. I hope you will never be deceived by the devil. He will always deceive you, making you look at the present reality and look at people. “Oh that person will never make it,” but will that person make it? God will do it.
The fact that God has given me the gospel means that He wants to give my children the gospel through me, and that is why God gives me a family. If someone says, “This person is not even a human,” God will make that happen.
Prayer
When you pray in the name of Jesus, when the Holy Spirit works, the forces of darkness are cast out, and even a person’s firm stubbornness will be broken. Who can overcome God? This is the blessing God has given us, and I hope you will stake your identity upon enjoying this blessing 24 hours a day by praying in the name of Jesus Christ. Let us pray holding onto the Word that God has given us so God will work through us all week, 24 hours.