“Whatever you ask in My name, that will I do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask Me anything in My name, I will do it.” John 14:13-14.
Today your LORD (יהוה) God (אלהים) says:
Today we continue considering what Jesus repeated twice the night of the Passover supper when Judas betrayed Jesus and handed Him over, Jesus told you that “these things” He had spoken to you were said by Him so that you could have His joy made full in you.
First, in His teaching on the Vine and the branches, He stated:
These things I have spoken to you so that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full. John 15:11.
And second in His prayer to Me that the Holy Spirit has revealed to you:
But now I come to You; and these things I speak in the world so that they may have My joy made full in themselves. I have given them Your word; and the world has hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. . . I do not ask on behalf of these alone, but for those also who believe in Me through their word.” John 17:13-14;20.
So the question we are considering is what are “these things” to which He is referring. And I am showing you what they are by bringing before you the things recorded that He said that night leading up to those statements. And that would be chapters 13, 14, 15, and 16 of John’s Gospel, supplemented by the things you find in Matthew, Mark, and Luke spoken at that meal the same night. In our last Life Lesson we considered how to be assured of your salvation and being careful to understand the directions in My Word and walking in the obedience of faith, but today I want to go on to something Jesus told you that you should be making use of, and that is the power and authority you have in His Name as members of His body on earth.
At the Last Supper, Jesus told His disciples, and through them to you, many things but there was one amazing truth that is so amazing He told you three times so you would not miss it.
Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do, he will do also; and greater works than these he will do; because I go to the Father. Whatever you ask in My name, that will I do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask Me anything in My name, I will do it. John 14:12-14.
You did not choose Me but I chose you, and appointed you that you would go and bear fruit, and that your fruit would remain, so that whatever you ask of the Father in My name He may give to you. John 15:16.
Truly, truly, I say to you, if you ask the Father for anything in My name, He will give it to you. Until now you have asked for nothing in My name; ask and you will receive, so that your joy may be made full. John 16:23-24.
I have given all authority and power to My Son in heaven and on earth. And He has given His authority and power to you. Matthew 28:18-19; Luke 10:19. Jesus chose you and appointed you who are His disciple, you who believe in His Name, as His agent with power of attorney to make Kingdom withdrawals in His Name. This is only for those who believe in His Name and abide in Him, those who have their names recorded in the Lamb’s Book of Life.
The seventy returned with joy, saying, “Lord, even the demons are subject to us in Your Name.” And He said to them, “I was watching Satan fall from heaven like lightning. Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing will injure you. Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are recorded in heaven.” Luke 10:17-20.
God was performing extraordinary miracles by the hands of Paul, so that handkerchiefs or aprons were even carried from his body to the sick, and the diseases left them and the evil spirits went out. But also some of the Jewish exorcists, who went from place to place, attempted to name over those who had the evil spirits the name of the Lord Jesus, saying, “I adjure you by Jesus whom Paul preaches.” Seven sons of one Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, were doing this. And the evil spirit answered and said to them, “I recognize Jesus, and I know about Paul, but who are you?” And the man, in whom was the evil spirit, leaped on them and subdued all of them and overpowered them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded. This became known to all, both Jews and Greeks, who lived in Ephesus; and fear fell upon them all and the name of the Lord Jesus was being magnified. Acts 19:11-17.
I have exalted the Name of Jesus above every other name, there is no other name given among men by which you can be saved. Acts 4:12. And I have given Him My Name. John 17:11.
You can ask anything in His Name and He will do it. John 14:13-14; John 15:16. If you ask Me for anything in His Name, I will give it to you. Jesus told you very clearly: “Amen, amen, I say to you, whatever you ask the Father in My Name He will give to you.” John 16:23. He has appointed you who are members of His body as His agents under a heavenly power of attorney. Before that you had never asked anything in His Name. John 16:24. But now ask and receive so your joy can be full. John 16:24.
Jesus told you why that will work for you: “If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be My disciples.” John 15:7-8.
This is for those who abide in Me and My Words abide in them. These are the ones who bear fruit. They are attached to the vine of Jesus because they have chosen to submit to My Word (agree with My Words) and resist the lies of the devil. Adam and Eve gave their dominion authority in the earth to the devil. You can use your dominion authority on earth for My purposes and I will empower you in doing them.
But He gives a greater grace. Therefore it says, “God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” Submit therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded. James 4:6-8.
All of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, for God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble. Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time, casting all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you. Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. But resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same experiences of suffering are being accomplished by your brethren who are in the world. After you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself perfect, confirm, strengthen and establish you. 1 Peter 5:5-10.
It is the humble to whom the power to use the Name belongs, for I have hidden from the proud what I reveal to the humble. The proud one’s heart is not right with Me, the proud resist Me with hardened hearts. The Name is of no effect except to judge them.
Why don’t you ask in His Name? Ask and you will receive that your joy may be full.
Remember at the Last Supper, Jesus told you that you will do the works He did and greater? John 14:12. But do not stop there, read to the end of the sentence. He then told you why you would do these works. He told you the reason was because He was going to be with Me in Heaven at My right hand and that whatever you ask in His Name Jesus will do it with you, in you and through you and you with, in and through Him.
Peter and John went to work with very soon after Jesus had sent them the fullness of the Holy Spirit and clothed them with power from on High. They used the Name of Jesus and the faith in and through that Name to raise up a man crippled from birth so that he was jumping and running and going into the Temple with them.
While he was clinging to Peter and John, all the people ran together to them at the so-called portico of Solomon, full of amazement. But when Peter saw this, he replied to the people, “Men of Israel, why are you amazed at this, or why do you gaze at us, as if by our own power or piety we had made him walk? The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the God of our fathers, has glorified His servant Jesus, the one whom you delivered and disowned in the presence of Pilate, when he had decided to release Him. But you disowned the Holy and Righteous One and asked for a murderer to be granted to you, but put to death the Prince of life, the one whom God raised from the dead, a fact to which we are witnesses. And on the basis of faith in His name, it is the name of Jesus which has strengthened this man whom you see and know; and the faith which comes through Him has given him this perfect health in the presence of you all. Acts 3:11-16.
That is how the power of the power of attorney comes, not by your power or might but by My Spirit. Remember Jesus explains how this works right after telling you about asking in His Name.
Whatever you ask in My name, that will I do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask Me anything in My name, I will do it. If you love Me, you will keep My commandments. I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may be with you forever; that is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it does not see Him or know Him, but you know Him because He abides with you and will be in you. I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. After a little while the world will no longer see Me, but you will see Me; because I live, you will live also. John 14:13-19.
When you have received Jesus as Lord you always receive the Holy Spirit.
Peter said to them, “Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off, as many as the Lord our God will call to Himself.” Acts 2:38-39.
So Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you; as the Father has sent Me, I also send you.” And when He had said this, He breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. John 20:21-22.
I have given you all you need for an extraordinary life filled with grace and glory. A life like Jesus lived, filled with great deeds of authority and power. And your keys and weapons for victory are: My Word, the Name of Jesus, and the Blood of Jesus and powered with the Holy Spirit.
My Word is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword. It is the mighty sword of the spirit that can cut down any stronghold in your life. The Name of Jesus is above every other name and everyone and everything must submit to it. The Blood declares you forgiven and innocent. The Blood declares you righteous, as righteous as if you had never sinned. The Blood declares that you are holy and sanctified, that you are purified and washed as white as snow in the Blood. The Blood declares you are the temple of the Holy Spirit and that the devil has no place in you.
And My Word created, framed, sustains and upholds the universe and all that is in it.
The devil is the accuser of the brethren. He accuses you and if he makes you feel condemned then he can kill, steal and destroy you with your own hands. And when you accuse and make others feel condemned you are doing his job.
If your heart is condemning you, you have no faith to stand against the enemy, and without faith it is impossible to please Me. I am most pleased when you who believe in Me and My Son and have a sincere desire to please Me and do My Will believe that I have made you righteous before Me in Christ—when you are fully persuaded that there is no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus—and you reach out to Me expecting My favor and grace upon you because of your righteousness in Christ independent of your performance, and take abundantly what I am offering you in Christ. That pleases Me immensely for that is why I sent Him, to give you life and life in abundance.
Do not lose your confidence because in it is great reward.
Overcome the devil by the Blood of the Lamb and the Word of YOUR testimony, which is My Word in your heart and in your mouth.
The devil is cast down and defeated but his time of leasehold that Adam gave him is not quite up YET. But he knows his time is short.
You conquer his accusations by the Blood of the Lamb AND the Word of your testimony. You must SPEAK. And when you speak My Word, which is Jesus, I am obligated to perform it by your power of attorney. I have given you the Name of Jesus, the only Name given to men by which you can be saved.
Do you believe My Word that you can be saved, healed, and delivered in EVERY situation? Release My Word through prayer, praise, confession, and conversation. Address one another in psalms, hymns and inspired songs. Believe that when you pray, praise and confess My Word you can move mountains and open or shut doors (you can open the door of hope in the hour of trouble), for everything and everyone must bow at the Name of Jesus.
My Word in your mouth is as powerful as My Word in My mouth. For I have entrusted everything—all authority in Heaven and on earth—to Jesus and I have given you authority to carry out His Will in earth by giving you His Name, you who are His body and His bride the Church, which is your designation as the agent, the attorney-in-fact to do His work in His physical absence from the earth.
He, your Head, your principal of whom you are the agent, is in Heaven, but you His agents, ambassadors and body are on the earth. And you have His authority backing you when you act, speak, and face challenges in His Name.
Remember though that an agent or a member of a body can only do as the principal and head direct. If an agent abuses his duty of fidelity to the best interests of His principal and begins to act contrary to the interests of his principal, the power of attorney is revoked. That is why I tell you that if you pray according to My Will (which is My Word), I hear you and when I hear you, then you know what you have asked for is yours. 1 John 5:14-15. I do not hear the prayers of the wicked. And remember My Son told you the parable of the wicked servant? The Master left that servant in charge of his affairs as his representative when he went to a far country. The servant was not faithful to his Master and abused the authority he had given him by being cruel and abusive to his fellow servants. The Master removed his authority from him when he returned and punished him.
I love you. Be aware of your power of attorney and use it wisely as My good and faithful agent, as My ambassador. You can do the works He did and greater if you ask in His Name for all the grace that you need. It is there for you. Take it in His Name and go out and tell the good news.