Soul-Satisfying Christianity

Good morning, church. Happy Mother's Day. Would you turn with me to John chapter 14,

John 14:8–14

verses 8 through 14. We are continuing our series in Jesus's farewell discourse in John chapters 13

John 13 · chapter mention

through 17. This is the moment in Jesus's earthly ministry in the upper room when he prepares his

disciples for his impending departure by way of the cross and resurrection, but he also prepares

his disciples for their upcoming mission by way of the Holy Spirit. So last week we heard Jesus speak

words of comfort to the disciples and to us, that he's going to prepare a way for us, that he's the

only way to the Father. So let's pick up where we left off in John chapter 14, verses 8 through 14.

John 14:8–14

But before we read, let me pray for us. Let me pray. Our Father in heaven, we ask that

as we come to your word this morning, you would give us ears to hear what your spirit is saying,

and you would give us hearts to receive with faith what it is you have for us.

God, thank you for doing a transformative work in us and through us as you speak to us.

We pray this in Jesus's name. Amen. All right. John chapter 14, verses 8 through 14.

John 14:8–14

Philip said to Jesus, Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us. Jesus said to him,

have I been with you so long and you still do not know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the

Father. How can you say, show us the Father? Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the

Father is in me? The words that I say to you, I do not speak on my own authority, but the Father who

dwells in me does his works. Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me, or else

believe on account of the works themselves. Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me

will also do the works that I do, and greater works than these will he do because I am going to the

Father. Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.

If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it.

Well, I wonder if you've ever felt like something is missing, like you're just not connecting the

dots. You watch the movie that all your friends are raving about, and you just don't get it. You

think, what am I missing here? Or you're putting together a piece of Ikea furniture, trying for the

second or third time, and the thing just doesn't look right. What am I missing here?

I think as followers of Jesus, we can sometimes feel similarly about our spiritual lives.

We can feel like we're missing something, right? For example, Paul says in Romans,

the kingdom of God is all about righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit. And sometimes we think,

I don't really feel any of that. What am I missing?

When Philip asks Jesus in our passage, Lord, show us the Father, and that will be enough for us,

don't you hear Philip kind of feeling the same way? Jesus, what am I missing? Just show us the Father,

and that'll be enough for us. Now, you have to admire Philip's desire here, right? It's like Moses in

Exodus, when Moses says to the Lord, Lord, show me your glory. After all, to see God, to catch a glimpse

of his brilliance and beauty, that would truly be enough for us. That would satisfy the soul for a

thousand lifetimes. That would thrill even the most cynical heart to see God.

But what are we missing? Why are we so often dissatisfied in our walk with God? Why are we so often

bored? What are we missing? Like Philip, we ask, Lord, just show us the Father, and that'll be enough

for us. And in our short passage, Jesus is going to help us connect the dots. He's going to show us

that a soul-satisfying relationship with God can be had, but too often we overlook something

important. Too often we're trying to build a stool with only one or two legs, and then we wonder why it

can never stay up. We wonder why it always falls flat. Instead, Jesus shows us that a soul-satisfying

relationship with God involves the dynamic interplay of three critical things—believing,

doing, and praying. It's about a kind of believing that gives birth to doing,

and a kind of doing that gives birth to praying, and a kind of praying that comes back again to

believing. So let's look at each of these three and find out maybe what we've been missing. So first,

a soul-satisfying relationship with God means believing. But what kind of believing? Believing

that in Jesus we have all we've ever longed for. Look again at verses 9 through 11. Like Philip,

we want to see the Father. We want to see God. It's almost like we're estranged lovers longing to

meet our beloved again. We're like exiles longing to see our homeland. I mean, if you've ever been in

a situation where you've been far from home for a long time, doesn't it feel like it would just be

enough to kind of crest the hill and see home once again? To know that you are at last where you

belong. And isn't so much of our life a search to find lasting satisfaction and meaning? Isn't that

so much of what we long for in life? And isn't so much of our life a search for those things

that often comes up short? That life isn't enough. You know, we get the degree, we get the job,

we get the relationship, we buy the home, but it doesn't do the trick.

Reflecting on this reality, C.S. Lewis once said,

if I find in myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy,

the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world.

If none of my earthly pleasures, he goes on to say, if none of my earthly pleasures satisfy it,

that does not prove the universe is a fraud. Probably earthly pleasures were never meant to

satisfy it, but only to arouse it, to suggest the real thing. If that is so, he says, I must take

care on the one hand never to despise or be unthankful for these earthly blessings, and on the

other, never to mistake them for the something else of which they are only a copy or echo or mirage.

He concludes, I must keep alive in myself the desire for my true country.

And so, like Philip, we say, Lord, show us the Father, and that'll be enough for us.

But now consider, consider what Philip's question implies in this moment. Philip and the other

apostles, the other disciples, have been with Jesus now for three years. Philip has heard Jesus teach,

seen Jesus work wonders. In chapter 13, right before this chapter, Jesus has just washed Philip's feet

and served him the meal that will become the sign of the fulfillment of all of Israel's hopes of

redemption. And yet, Philip still thinks that he needs something more to see the Father.

But listen to what Jesus says in verse 9 to Philip, to all of us.

Let that sink in. There is nothing in addition to Jesus that we need to see the Father.

There's no surplus of God somewhere else that we might need to discover or find out. There's no sort

of advanced course or higher degree that we might take. Soul-satisfying Christianity is not Jesus plus

something else. In fact, the very reason why our faith becomes so dull is because we think we have

to keep looking somewhere else. It's like we're in the dressing room and we keep trying on clothes

after clothes. Maybe the next outfit will be just the right fit. Maybe the next outfit.

When there's a perfectly tailored dress waiting for us right there. There it is. Put it on.

But how can that be? How is it that Jesus alone is enough?

Look at the next verse, verse 10. Jesus says,

Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me?

Now this is what we've come to call the mutual indwelling of God the Father and God the Son.

The Father is in the Son. The Son is in the Father. You see, Jesus isn't merely a prophet or a religious

leader who comes with a word from God. No, Jesus is the very word of God. When God the Father speaks,

the very word he says is Jesus, the Son. So to think that we can find more of God somewhere else

is impossible.

Imagine you visit a friend you haven't seen for ages. You fly across the country to visit them.

You show up at their door. They open the door and then the friend says,

Well, it's great that you're here and all, but you know, I'm going to head down to the library

and see if anyone has written any biographies about you. Maybe search the internet and see

what I can find. I'm so eager to get to know you better after all these years that we've been apart.

And you think to yourself,

I'm here. I'm right in front of you. I'm in the flesh. It doesn't get better than this.

It's impossible to find more of me somewhere else.

And that's what Jesus is saying to each one of us.

I'm standing right in front of you.

God in the flesh. It doesn't get better. It doesn't get more personal.

It doesn't get more self-revealing than this.

But why should we believe that the Father is in Jesus, the Son,

and Jesus, the Son, is in the Father?

Look at verse 11.

Believe me, Jesus says, or else believe on account of the works.

In other words, we can either take Jesus' own word for it,

or we can believe because of the powerful works that Jesus has done.

So on the one hand, we can take Jesus' own word for it.

And consider, that is no light thing.

Did anyone ever teach like Jesus?

Did anyone leave a greater impact on human history?

You know, many people will say that they revere Jesus as a great teacher

or a great spiritual guide.

Some will even say perhaps he was the greatest teacher,

the greatest spiritual guide who ever lived.

Well, friends, if you believe that,

or if you're at least willing to entertain that thought,

then consider what Jesus says about his own relationship to the Father.

If you believe that he's a great teacher, and he is,

then believe what he actually says about himself, perhaps.

But on the other hand, you can believe on account of what Jesus has done.

During Jesus' lifetime, we have records of people saying things like this,

when the Messiah comes, will he do more works than these?

Nearly every historical record we have of the life of Jesus

presents him as a worker of mighty signs and wonders.

In John's gospel, we find Jesus doing things like turning water into wine

or feeding 5,000 people with just a few fish and loaves of bread,

even raising the dead back to life.

All of these works are meant to tell us something about who Jesus is,

about his identity.

They are nonverbal, Christological signposts.

In other words, they're Jesus showing us who he is,

not merely telling us.

But as we think about the works of Jesus,

think about the greatest work of all.

Consider that the one who turned water into wine

and fed the multitudes and calmed the seas and raised the dead,

consider that at the end of his life,

he was willing to stand in the place of his enemies

and to be stripped of all his dignity and honor

and to be crucified

and to go down into death itself.

Consider that he was willing

to give his life as a ransom for many,

to pay the infinite debt of sin

that we owed to an infinitely holy God

with the infinitely priceless blood of his own perfect life.

Has anyone ever done a work like that?

Died for our sins willingly, lovingly?

And so, friends, as we apply this to our own hearts,

we have to ask, we have to ask ourselves,

where do I tend to look to find ultimate spiritual answers?

Where do I tend to go to find ultimate spiritual satisfaction for my soul

other than Jesus,

other than the crucified and risen Lord?

If we are trying to see the face of the Father,

of our Creator, of the one who made us and loves us,

Jesus says we have to look into the face of the Son,

of his own self.

In other words, our pursuit of God

must be ruthlessly, radically Christ-centered,

or it will leave us empty, tired, and bored.

So first, what Jesus says then is

soul-satisfying Christianity means believing,

believing that in Jesus we have all we've ever longed for.

But let's pause a minute and ask,

let me ask you, Christian,

is that your experience?

Having seen the Father in the face of Jesus,

are you satisfied?

Most of us, I think at times,

have to honestly answer,

no.

We know Jesus is all in all,

but why doesn't it feel like it's enough?

Well, it could be that we aren't really pressing into the person of Jesus

through the means of grace,

through spiritual rhythms like Christ-centered prayer,

or scripture meditation, or worship, and so on.

Or perhaps it doesn't feel like enough because we're just feeling the reality

that our consummation is still to come.

You know, John says in his first epistle that the day is coming when we shall be like him,

for we shall see him as he is.

We are still awaiting the bridegroom's return for his bride.

But still, there's another very important reason why Jesus can sometimes feel like he's not enough.

And this, perhaps, is more widespread among us than we realize.

And it comes from a faulty understanding of what the Christian life actually means.

We operate with a truncated vision of what God actually has for us in this life.

You see, the Christian story is not

believe in Jesus and then wait around

until you go to heaven when you die.

Now, don't get me wrong.

The hope of heaven is precious and sweet.

It is food when we are hungry.

It is drink when we are weary.

It is joy in our sadness.

It is courage in our weakness.

But, as we set our sights on the new heavens and the new earth to come,

right now, there is a mission.

There is a purpose, a calling that Jesus has for us.

Consider, when Jesus was here, he healed the sick.

He blessed the poor.

He challenged empty religion.

Andrew, I'm going to switch over the pulpit mic.

Is that all right?

This thing keeps falling off.

I'm going to just get rid of it.

Consider, friends, that when Jesus was here,

what did he do?

He healed the sick.

He blessed the poor.

He challenged empty religion.

He calmed seas.

He raised the dead.

Now, why was he doing all of that?

On the one hand, as we just said,

the miracles of Christ were demonstrations of his identity.

Yes.

But they were also something more.

The works that Christ did, they were creation healing works.

What I mean is the miracles of Christ were not merely displays of power or wonder.

They were things that put creation back into the wholeness that God intended.

So, I took my car to the shop this past week.

Now, imagine I had taken my car to the shop,

and the mechanic somehow magically turned my Honda CR-V into an apple pie.

That would have been quite a display of wonder and power.

But it would have been a little pointless, right?

Tasty, but pointless.

But if the mechanic actually fixed the car,

when no one else could fix it,

if he restored it to its proper and intended use,

isn't that much more important?

And isn't that much more satisfying?

You see, the miracles of Christ are signs that the creator has come back into his creation

to make things right.

Jesus turned water into wine

because God originally created us,

not for sorrow, but for joy.

Jesus fed the 5,000

because God originally intended us

to flourish and enjoy his good gifts

and not to be hungry and starve.

Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead

because we were made not for death,

but for life.

In short, Jesus came to inaugurate the kingdom of God,

the world-healing reign of the creator

to drive back death and sin and hell from God's good creation

and to begin the work of restoration, of new creation.

And here is what we so often miss.

Here's why our walk with God doesn't satisfy the soul.

Too often we miss the fact that believing,

being united to the person of Christ,

too often we miss that being united to the person of Christ

means being united to the mission of Christ.

Let's read verse 12.

Jesus says,

Truly, truly, I say to you,

whoever believes in me

will also do the works that I do

and greater works than these will he do

because I'm going to the Father.

Soul-satisfying Christianity

means believing first and foremost,

believing that Jesus is all we need.

But this believing gives birth to doing.

But what kind of doing?

Doing the very kingdom works of our exalted King Jesus.

Now let's break down verse 12.

Truly, truly, I say to you,

25 times in John's Gospel Jesus says this.

This is Jesus' way of saying,

Listen up.

This is the truth that you need to hear.

I'm putting my whole divine authority

behind what I'm about to say.

Whoever believes in me.

Whoever.

Notice, Jesus isn't just talking about a select few, right?

He's not just talking about the master chefs.

He's talking about everyone in the kitchen, right?

Whoever believes in me

will do the works that I do.

Believing in Jesus results in a life of mission,

of deep and lasting purpose.

You, Christian,

have a calling and a responsibility.

Your life isn't meant to be lived simply to amass wealth

or personal success or personal comfort.

You're called to do the very works of Jesus.

Works of creation, healing, kingdom, exhibiting power.

This is how Jesus defined his mission in Luke chapter 4.

Luke 4 · chapter mention

Quoting from the prophet Isaiah,

Jesus said,

As you look out at your world,

friends,

your family,

your neighborhood,

your school,

your city,

what do you see?

If you're looking with the eyes of Jesus,

you see men and women

all made in the image of God,

full of dignity and worth and beauty.

But you see them suffering mightily

under the weight of sin.

Spiritually and materially poor.

Spiritually and materially captive.

Spiritually and materially blind.

Spiritually and materially oppressed.

And being united to Jesus by faith,

we are called to go

and proclaim liberty to the captives.

To proclaim the year of the Lord's favor.

To use all the gifts that God has given us

to love our neighbors as ourselves

and to serve rather than to be served.

We enter into the mission of Jesus.

You will do the works that I do.

And then Jesus says,

And greater works than these will you do.

Now you can imagine the apostles

starting to scratch their heads at that point, right?

You have to ask,

Okay, well greater in what sense, Jesus?

Does Jesus mean greater in number?

Like quantitatively,

will we just do a greater number of good works?

Well, you have to admit,

that is true, right?

Read the first few chapters,

even just of the book of Acts.

Thousands of believers join the church in one day.

Many people are healed.

The church does go on to do works

greater in number

than those Jesus performed

during his three-year ministry.

That is true.

But,

greater in number

doesn't seem to be the best understanding

of the actual Greek phrase here.

There are other more natural ways

to say greater in number

if that's what Jesus meant.

So,

if Jesus doesn't mean greater in number,

perhaps he means

greater in wonder.

will the church do more wonderful

or miraculous works than Jesus?

Well, we have to admit,

it's kind of hard to imagine

doing more wonderful works

than raising the dead

and calming the seas

and feeding the 5,000.

We do see mighty works

done by the church.

Read the book of Acts.

Read church history.

God does miraculous things

through the church

by his spirit,

even today.

But,

it's hard to say

that these are greater in wonder

than what Jesus has done.

So,

what does it mean

that we're going to do

greater works?

Well,

imagine a baseball player.

It's early in the season.

His team is tied

in the third inning

of some

random game.

He gets to the plate.

Boom!

Hits a home run.

That's a pretty great work,

right?

Now,

fast forward.

His team has made it

all the way to the playoffs.

It's the World Series.

Bottom of the ninth.

Score is tied.

Two outs.

Same player.

Steps to the bat.

Boom!

He hits a home run.

Which one

is the greater work?

Well,

the work itself

was the same,

right?

A ball,

a bat,

hit a ball

and it went over the fence.

But,

obviously,

the second work

was much,

much greater.

Why?

Not because of what,

but because of when.

Brothers and sisters,

do you know

what time it is?

Not clock time,

not chronological time.

Some of you are thinking,

maybe it's time to start

wrapping this sermon up.

We've been sitting here

for 20 minutes.

No.

What time is it

in God's

plan of redemption?

The time that really matters,

theological time.

When

are we?

Do you remember

in Genesis 3,

after the fall of Adam and Eve,

God said,

a time was coming

when the seed of the woman

would crush the serpent's head.

Do you remember

in Genesis 12,

when God

called Abraham

and God said,

a time was coming,

Abraham,

when I'm going to bless

all nations

and your offspring?

And do you remember

in 2 Samuel chapter 7,

2 Samuel 7 · chapter mention

when God made a covenant

with David,

God said,

a time was coming

when David's throne

would be established

forever.

And then in Joel 2,

when the people

were languishing

under a natural disaster,

under a locust plague,

God said,

a time is coming

when he would pour out

his spirit on all flesh.

In Isaiah 49,

when the people

were suffering in exile,

God said,

a time was coming

when he would not only

bring back

the people of Israel,

but he would make

his servant a light

for the nations

and his salvation

would reach to the ends

of the earth.

A time is coming.

A time is coming.

A time is coming.

Do you know

what time it is?

That time

is now.

Right now.

Theologically speaking,

it is

the World Series.

Every

hit

counts.

God's

kingdom

is unleashed

on the world

and nothing

will stop it.

Why?

Look at verse 12 again.

Jesus says,

we'll do greater works

than he did

during his earthly ministry

because I

am going to the Father,

he says.

because I

am going

to the Father.

Jesus is referring there

to his death

and resurrection

and ascension

to the Father's right hand.

And because

Jesus has died,

risen,

and ascended,

that is the reason

why believers

will do greater works.

Because when Jesus

ascended

to the right hand

of God,

a human king

was at long

last

enthroned

over creation

just like God

promised David.

and the serpent's

head was crushed

by the crucified

one

just like God

had promised Adam

and Eve.

And the spirit

was poured out

just like God

had promised Joel.

And the blessing

of God

was now being

proclaimed

to all nations,

to the ends

of the earth,

just like God

had promised Abraham

and Isaiah.

Friends,

the king

has taken

his seat

and he will reign

until every enemy

is under his feet,

until even death

itself will die.

Heaven and earth

are now united

in King Jesus.

The door of redemptive history

has swung open

and the time

is at hand.

what a wonderful,

humbling,

and awe-inspiring

thing

that the almighty

God of the universe

has chosen

to do

his greater work,

his kingdom-advancing

work,

not apart from us,

but through us.

how much

must Jesus

love

his body,

his bride,

his church?

He defeats

sin and death

on the cross,

he rises to new life

on the third day,

he ascends

to the everlasting throne

of his father

after 40 days

with his disciples,

and then

he chooses

to do

his greater work

of advancing

his kingdom

to the ends

of the earth.

How?

Through us.

does he need us

to do that work?

No!

But he delights

to include us

in that work

to make us

part of his plan

and his purpose

and his mission.

That's why the apostle

Paul says in Acts 13,

in Acts 13,

Paul's preaching

the gospel,

and what happens there

is that Paul

takes a passage

from Isaiah,

actually the same passage

from Isaiah,

Isaiah 49,

that we read earlier,

a passage that is

clearly about Jesus,

and then Paul

applies it

to his own

life and ministry

as an apostle.

This is what Paul says,

For so the Lord

has commanded us,

saying,

I have made you

a light to the Gentiles

that you may bring

salvation to the ends

of the earth.

Now,

is Paul being

presumptuous

when he takes

a passage

that is about Jesus

and applies it

to his own life

and ministry?

No.

He is simply

realizing

what Jesus himself

taught,

that you will do

the works that I do

and even greater

works than these

because I am going

to the Father.

So friends,

where has God

called you

to participate

in this greatest

of works,

in this time

in which we live?

faith.

Listen to what

Jesus has been

saying so far

in this

farewell discourse.

Serve one another.

Love one another.

Look at your

neighbors.

How can you

serve them?

Love them.

Look at your

fellow church members.

How can you

serve them?

Love them.

Ask yourself,

who am I?

Who has God

made me to be?

Where am I?

Where has God

put me right now?

When am I?

Well, we know

the answer

to that one.

You have a part

to play

in the drama

of redemption.

You know,

the Old Testament

saints longed

for this day

and here you are.

Do you want

a faith

that is

soul satisfying?

Then first

and foremost

you must believe

that Jesus

is all you need

and then

you must join

the kingdom work

of your risen Lord.

But Jesus

isn't done yet.

Perhaps,

perhaps you've

heard this

kingdom call.

Perhaps you're

finding your way

in the mission

that Christ

has for you.

And the danger

for you

isn't

boredom.

That's the

unique danger

of believing

without doing.

No,

the danger

for you

is weariness.

You're believing,

yes.

You're doing,

yes.

But your soul

is weary

and drained

and you find

yourself asking,

what am I missing?

is this really

what it's all about?

I feel so thin.

I feel so tired.

What am I missing?

Jesus shows us

in the last two verses

of our text.

So we've seen

that soul-satisfying

Christianity

means believing,

first and foremost,

believing that Jesus

is all we need

and it means doing,

doing the very kingdom

works of our

exalted King Jesus.

But third,

it means

praying.

Praying

with radical

assurance

in Jesus'

name.

Let me read again

verses 13 through 14.

Jesus says,

whatever you ask

in my name,

this I will do,

that the Father

may be glorified

in the Son.

If you ask me

anything in my name,

I will do it.

The English poet

George Herbert,

he once called

prayer

reversed

thunder.

Now think about

that metaphor

for a minute.

How does

thunder

work?

Well,

there's a flash

of blazing light

across the sky,

right?

And then half a second

or maybe a second

later,

boom,

we hear the thunder.

First the light,

then the sound.

But prayer,

prayer

is reversed

thunder.

prayer

is the sound

that brings

the light.

Why don't

we pray?

We don't pray

because I think

we don't really

believe

that prayer

is reversed

thunder.

We don't really

believe that prayer

is the sound

that brings

the light.

We don't

really believe

that God

answers prayer.

prayer.

But listen

to what

Jesus says.

If we ask

anything

in his name,

he'll do it.

Now what does

it mean to ask

in his name?

Well,

two things

I think.

First,

praying in

Jesus'

name means

praying for

things that

are in accord

with who

Jesus is

and all

that he

stands for.

Praying in

Jesus'

name isn't

some magic

code word

that gives

you a brand

new car

because

you're

tired

of

your

old

one,

right?

But

you really

can ask

for anything

in his

name.

If you

need a

different

car

to do

what

Jesus

has

called

you

to do,

to get

to work,

to serve

your family,

to give

people a ride

to church,

then pray

for the

car.

So praying

in Jesus'

name means

praying for

things that

are in

accord

with who

Jesus is

and what

he stands

for.

But praying

in Jesus'

name also

means praying

in deep

recognition

that Jesus

is our

only way

to the

Father.

That Jesus

has made

a way

where there

was no

way.

When our

sins had

cast us

out from

God's

presence,

Jesus came

from heaven,

paid for

our sins,

and returned

to heaven so

that we can

now come

to the

Father on

the basis

of his

perfect

record and

not on

the basis

of our

own

record.

We don't

offer our

prayers to

God because

we deserve

to be

heard,

but because

Jesus deserves

to be

heard,

and because

he's united

us to

himself.

And that's

why prayer

is reverse

thunder,

because we

know that

our

redeemer lives,

and that he

invites us

to come,

and to come

and ask

anything in

his name.

Because when

we ask,

when we

pray,

who gets

the credit?

Who gets

the credit?

What does

Jesus say?

Whatever you

ask in my

name,

this I

will do,

that the

Father may

be glorified

in the

Son.

As we

embark on

the mission

of Christ,

Jesus wants

us to ask

for anything

we encounter

along the

way.

Ask for

anything,

Jesus says.

Why?

So that he

might get the

glory for

everything.

And when

God is

praised,

when God

is praised

for being

the glorious

and gracious

and holy

and kind

and powerful

God that he

is,

when our

lives are

struck by

his beauty

and brilliance,

when they're

struck in

such a way

that they

only can

be when

we are

praying in

the midst

of the

mission that

is born

because of

our belief

in Jesus,

in other

words,

when God

is glorified

for answered

prayer and

kingdom work,

that is the

place where

the soul is

truly satisfied

because we

are seeing

his glory

in all of

its fullness.

And like

Philip,

we can finally

say it's

enough.

At long

last,

it's enough.

God

will

ask for

today

in Jesus'

name.

Maybe it's

something that

seems too

petty,

too small.

Surely God

has bigger

things to do

with his

time than

answer my

small prayer.

And yet

it's nagging

on your

heart and

hear Jesus

say,

just come

ask for

anything in

my name

and I'll

do it.

Maybe for

you it's

something that

seems too

big,

too bold,

and yet it's

there.

It's this

kingdom desire

that God has

put in you

and before you.

And you think,

I don't know,

I don't know,

it seems too

unlikely that God

would do something

like that.

Friends,

you have not

because you

ask not.

but when you

ask in

Jesus'

name,

then get

ready for

the lightning.

It may

not come

right away,

it may not

come like

you expected,

but it

will come.

Let's

pray.

Lord

Jesus,

thank you

for revealing

to us and

showing us

what a

full-orbed

life with

you looks

like.

Lord,

help us

by your

spirit to

enter into

these things,

to believe

and to do

and to pray.

Lord,

we take just

a minute now

as we sit

in quiet

before you

to pray for

those things

in your name

that are deep

in our hearts

O Father,

glorify

yourself

through your

Son,

and may we

have eyes

to see it

and be

satisfied.

Amen.

Amen.

God bless you today.

We

need you.

God bless you.