John 14:9-10 NLT - Jesus replied, “Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father! The words I speak are not my own, but my Father who lives in me does his work through me.”
If we want to know God, then we need to get to know Jesus. And thankfully there are four entire books of the Bible dedicated to the life of Jesus. We call them the Gospels - Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.
Through this series, we are working through the book of John and observing the way of Jesus. What we’re finding out is that the way of Jesus is different.
So, when you follow Jesus, people are going to think that you are different.
Last week we talked about a very popular subject… obedience. Okay, maybe not so popular, which is probably why it’s been a neglected subject for many years now.
But the truth is, without obedience to God, we are pretty much worthless. We might be saved and going to heaven, but our life here on earth won’t amount to much of anything without obedience to God.
Jesus wants us doing greater works than He did. That is a pretty big assignment. It’s intimidating and exciting all at the same time. But the thing is, we’ll never get there if we don’t embrace obedience.
If you want the Holy Spirit working in your life, obedience to God’s Word is required. If you want the power of God to manifest in your life, just like it did through Jesus, obedience to God’s Word is required.
The problem we face is that the American church has settled for grace without obedience. When we choose to tolerate sin in the name of grace, we dismiss the power of God.
In other words, the power of God cannot exist alongside disobedience. Let me put it to you this way:
There are a lot of Christians who talk a big game. They want to see the power of God manifest in church services and in their lives. They want to see people saved and healed by the power of God. But none of this can happen unless the church, as a whole, embraces obedience.
Instead of looking to God’s grace to cover our sin, we should be looking to God’s grace to eliminate our sin so we can walk in the righteousness that Jesus gave us. It’s not our righteousness, it’s His, but we are still supposed to put it on and walk in it every day of our lives.
Do you want to see the power of God manifest in your life? Then dedicate yourself to obedience and don’t make excuses as to why you can’t be obedient.
Instead, lean into the grace of God to free you from sin. Only the blood of Jesus Christ can save us and set us free. You can’t do this in your own effort. Salvation and freedom are both a free gift you receive through faith in Jesus.
Now that we’ve dedicated ourselves to be obedient to God, we’re ready for the power of God to manifest. And we’ve tasted it over the past several weeks.
You may have noticed that there is something different about my messages lately. The truth of God has been challenging our minds and our wrong beliefs and the purification process has been a bit uncomfortable.
You may remember when our thermostats reacted to the fire of God a few weeks ago by warning us that it was over 102 degrees in the room.
You may remember when Robin was miraculously healed of several physical ailments a few weeks ago. Or how about last week when my aunt was visiting from Texas and undoubtedly was filled with the Holy Spirit?
Y’all, without a doubt, I know that the messages I’ve preached over the past couple of months have been exactly what God wants me to say. They bear witness with my spirit and God confirms them with signs following.
But, we haven’t seen anything yet. When we all dedicate ourselves to obedience to God - when we stop making excuses for our sin and by faith receive the freedom Jesus gave us - the power of God will increase like we’ve never seen.
We will get to a place, just like Jesus said, where we can ask God for anything and it will be done. And that is what I want to focus on today.
As we’ve been working through the book of John, I noticed something that Jesus said over and over again. He actually said it four times. And if Jesus feels the need to repeat it more than once, then apparently He wants us to get it.
Let me show you:
John 14:13-14 NKJV - And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask anything in My name, I will do it.
John 15:7 NKJV - If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you.
John 15:16 NKJV - You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give you.
John 16:23 NKJV - ...Most assuredly, I say to you, whatever you ask the Father in My name He will give you.
Let’s keep going, because John is not the only disciple that heard Jesus say this. They all did. Take a look:
Luke 11:9-10 NKJV - So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.
Mark 11:24 NKJV - Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them.
Matthew 7:11 NKJV - If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!
Matthew 21:22 NKJV - And whatever things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive.
All the scripture I just shared with you is Jesus talking. This isn’t how one of the disciples interpreted what Jesus said. No, this is exactly what Jesus said and the disciples wrote it down as He said it.
Jesus wants us to get to a place where we ask Him for anything we need and fully trust that we will receive what we ask for. He doesn’t want us asking and hoping it works. No, He wants us asking while believing that it is done.
So, what are you going to ask God for?
