Truth That Changes Lives

JP Jones: Prayer is a trade to be learned. We must be apprentices and serve our time at it. Painstaking care, much thought, practice, and labor are required to be a skillful tradesman in prayer.

Greg: Thank you for joining us on Truth That Changes Lives. Pastor JP Jones is the senior pastor of Crossline Community Church in Laguna Hills, California, and a professor in biblical studies at Biola University. Today on Truth That Changes Lives, Pastor JP will be giving us a message from a series entitled "Red Letter." Let’s listen in as JP gives us part one of John 14, verses 12 through 14.

JP Jones: We’re looking this whole year at Red Letter. What are the actual teachings of Jesus? What did Jesus say about God, about knowing God, about living a life dedicated to following God? We’re also focusing in on this section called the Upper Room Discourse, which is found in John 14, 15, and 16. That’s the basis for our studies this fall. The theme is "Get Connected."

In this portion of scripture, Jesus talks about what it means to be connected with God, and how we live out that relationship in connection with others. This is not only a teaching from God’s word for us as individual believers, it also is a basis for our church, that as we are in this fall season, we want to discover how we can be connected to God and his purposes for our lives, and connected to one another here at Crossline so that we can make a difference that glorifies Jesus Christ in this community and the world.

In the passage that we’re looking at today, John 14, verses 12 to 14, it’s a very simple message. I’ve been saying in the past few services, it’s very simple to understand, it’s mysterious to comprehend, and it’s even more difficult to follow. It’s Jesus’s teaching on prayer, and a specific promise related to prayer. Jesus says this, John chapter 14, verses 12 to 14:

"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. 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." Jesus gives us a promise here in relationship to prayer that’s simple to understand, mysterious to comprehend, and even more difficult to follow.

I would say that most of us, if not all of us, have an awareness that in the spiritual world, prayer is vital. For a person to connect with God, for a person to grow in their knowledge of God, for a person to discover the will of God, prayer is critical. Listen to some of the quotes that have been written on prayer. These all come from one particular guy, E.M. Bounds. He wrote quite a few books on prayer.

He says this: "God shapes the world by prayer. Prayers are deathless. They outlive the lives of those who pray them. Prayer is of transcendent importance. Prayer is the mightiest agent to advance God’s work. Praying hearts and hands only can do God’s work. Prayer succeeds when everything else fails. The goal of prayer is the ear of God, a goal that can only be reached by patient and continued and continuous waiting upon him, pouring out our hearts to him, and permitting him to speak to us."

"Only by so doing can we expect to know him. And as we come to know him better, we shall spend more time in his presence and find that the presence of God is a constant and ever-increasing delight. Prayer is a trade to be learned. We must be apprentices and serve our time at it. Painstaking care, much thought, practice, and labor are required to be a skillful tradesman in prayer. Practice in this, as in all other trades, makes perfect."

"Natural ability and educational advantages do not figure in as factors in prayer. No, it takes a capacity of faith, the power of a thorough consecration of one’s life, the ability of self-humility, an absolute losing of oneself in God’s glory, and an ever-present and insatiable yearning and seeking after the fullness of God. These are what are required to truly pray."

Prayer is at the heart of the Christian life because prayer is communing with God. Prayer is spending time with God. Prayer is talking to God, prayer is listening to God, prayer is giving praise to God, prayer is confessing our sins to God. Prayer is asking God to do miracles in our lives, prayer is claiming the commands of scripture, prayer is expressing a personal, authentic relationship with God.

In John chapter 14, where Jesus is talking about connection and how to get connected with God, Jesus talks about prayer. Jesus makes some very specific prayer promises. "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. Whatever you ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it."

I’ve got three observations in my approach to this passage. Sometimes I put together my sermons and it’s just verse-by-verse teaching of the Bible. Nothing profound, it’s just simple looking at the text. Sometimes I try to put an outline together that hangs the thoughts of the text. Sometimes it just comes out that as one who is a practitioner, I go, "Oh, that’s a cool outline. I like that." This is one of those cool outlines. You may not like it; I like it.

Three things about this passage: the whoever, the whatever, and the what for. Three things about prayer: the whoever, the whatever, and the what for. The first is the whoever, because Jesus says in this prayer promise, "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." The whoever are the people who are the recipients of the promise.

If you’re not part of the whoever, you can’t claim the promise. If you want the promise fulfilled in your life, you’ve got to be one of the whoevers. Jesus says, "whoever believes in me." Whoever believes in me. He uses the Greek verb "to believe." It’s the verb *pisteuo*, which is used over 200 times in the New Testament, 85 times in the Gospel of John. To believe means to trust in, to have faith in, to have confidence in.

This verse is translated—this portion of this verse—the NIV says, "I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me." The New American Standard Bible says, "Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes in me." And the English Standard Version, "Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me." Whoever believes. It’s not just the verb, it’s the grammatical construction of the verb that’s important. Because this is, for those of you that are grammarians, a nominative participle.

A nominative participle in a sentence is a naming verbal adjective. It’s "the one who believes." It’s not talking about a single act of belief, nor is it per se talking about a life of continual belief. It’s talking about a descriptive term of a person who is a believer. This is used, for example, in the Gospels for a guy that is pretty well-known: John the Baptist. How many have ever heard the name John the Baptist? Why was John the Baptist called John the Baptist?

What did John the Baptist do? Baptized. He’s not called John the Presbyterian or John the Lutheran; it has nothing to do with his denomination. He was called John the Baptist because he baptized people. This is a nominative participle in the Greek text. It’s more accurately translated, "John the one who baptizes" or "John the baptizer." When Jesus says "whoever believes," it’s "the believer." It’s not talking about the quality of your belief. It’s not talking about how often you believe.

It’s not talking about whether you one time in your whole life believed. Are you a person who is identified as a believing one, a believer? Because Jesus says, "Whoever’s a believer, this promise is for you." The person who is the recipient of this promise is the believer. You think, "Well, that’s pretty simple." I told you it was simple. But Jesus doesn’t say, "To you apostles who believe." This is a promise that transcends just the immediate audience, just the immediate apostolic community.

It wasn’t just for the apostles; it’s for any believer. Jesus doesn’t say, "To those of you who have the gift of faith." Faith is a gift. Some people have more faith than others; some people actually have a gifting of faith. But this isn’t a passage that is addressed to just those who have the gift of faith. It’s not addressed to those who are the prayer warriors in the church. It’s not addressed to those who self-identify as charismatics or pentecostals who believe in miracles. Whoever is a believer.

The whoever of this passage is someone who’s a believer. It’s the same construction we find in John 3:16. John 3:16 says, "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have everlasting life." Whoever is a believer in Jesus Christ has eternal life. If you’re a believer in Jesus Christ and have eternal life, this promise is for you in John chapter 14.

You may be here as a guest or even as someone who’s been here for a while, but you’re not a believer. On any given Sunday, we expect, welcome, and intentionally pray for people who are not yet believers to be in our services. If this is you, this promise doesn’t relate to you. Jesus is not speaking to you in this promise. For you to experience the promise of Jesus, you’ve got to become a believer. You’ve got to say, "Lord Jesus, save me."

You’ve got to do what the Apostle Paul says in Romans chapter 10: If you call on the name of the Lord, you’ll be saved. If you confess with your mouth Jesus is Lord, if you believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you’ll be saved. As someone who has called on the name of the Lord and who believes in the Lord, now, as a believer, this promise can be for you. And what is Jesus’s promise? "Whoever believes in me, the works that I do shall he do also, and greater works than these shall he do because I go to the Father."

"Whatever you ask of the Father in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. I will do anything you ask." It’s an amazing promise. Simple to understand, mysterious to comprehend, and even more difficult to put into practice. But the promise is for people who believe in Christ. If you are a believer, this promise is for you. That’s the whoever. Well, what about the whatever?

"Whatever you ask in my name, this will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it." Jesus says "whatever" and "anything." He says that following a very important promise that actually qualifies everything else. It’s in verse 12: "Whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do, and greater works than these shall he do because I go to the Father."

Jesus is saying we will do his works and greater works, and whatever we ask in regards to those works, he will do. He’ll do anything in that regard that we ask. The works of Jesus. This term "work" is a generic term in the New Testament. It’s the Greek word *ergon*. It means to accomplish something through some power. Something that is accomplished through some power is a work. Jesus is talking about his works, those things that he accomplished in his power.

"The works that I do, you will do also, and greater works will you do because I go to the Father." What are the works of Jesus that he says as a believer I will do, and he promises that even greater works I’ll do? If we just were to limit our analysis to the Gospel of John, what are the works of Jesus? John records several things that are the works of Jesus. Some things that John records are the actual miracles of Jesus. John records seven miracles of Jesus in John’s Gospel.

John chapter 2, Jesus turns water into wine. I know the Baptists have been trying to turn the wine back into water for all these years, but Jesus turned the water into wine. John chapter 5, Jesus heals a young man, an official’s son. Then Jesus heals a paralyzed man, a paralytic, enables him to walk. Jesus feeds 5,000. Jesus walks on water. And Jesus raises Lazarus from the dead. Those are miracles of Jesus that are recorded as the works of Jesus.

Turns water into wine, heals a sick guy, raises a paralyzed guy up to walk, feeds 5,000, walks on water, and raises a dead guy back to life. Didn’t I tell you simple to understand but mysterious to comprehend and even more difficult to practice? Those are the miracles of Jesus. Are those the only works of Jesus? No. John records several other works of Jesus. John records how in John chapter 3, Jesus has a conversation with Nicodemus, a religious leader, and explains to him the way of salvation and leads him to the Father.

John chapter 4, Jesus has a conversation with the woman of Samaria and explains to her the way of salvation, offers her living water. She takes it and she believes in him as the Messiah. John chapter 8, Jesus has a conversation with the woman caught in adultery, rebukes her accusers and tells her that her sins are forgiven, leads her to salvation. Jesus does these miracles, Jesus has individual conversations with people, speaks to them and leads them into salvation.

Jesus speaks to the multitudes. John records several examples of Jesus speaking to hundreds and thousands of people where he explains to the multitudes the way of salvation. Jesus confronts the Pharisees, who were steeped in their legalism and religiosity, and he confronts their false teaching and speaks to them the truth of grace and freedom and faith. Jesus serves the disciples by washing their feet, and Jesus teaches and encourages the disciples to grow deeper in their faith.

These are all the works of Jesus. What does Jesus promise to whoever believes, to the believing ones, to believers, to us who are believers in Jesus? Jesus promises, "The works that I do, you’re going to do also, and greater works will you do because I go to the Father." At a minimum, looking at the works of Jesus that were the backdrop to Jesus saying "the works that I do will you do also and greater works will you do," Jesus is talking about those acts of ministry that we do in Jesus’s name that bring healing to people’s lives, salvation to people’s lives, and freedom to people’s lives, that bless them and serve them with God’s love.

The promise of Jesus is that for believers, we will do his works and greater works will we do because he’s going to the Father. It’s Jesus’s works. Remember what a work is? It’s something that is accomplished in some power. It’s Jesus’s work and he’s accomplishing it in his power. But who is he accomplishing it through? Me and you, us, those who believe. Jesus lives his light and life through us.

Jesus loves others through us. Jesus does his miracles through us. Jesus speaks his salvation through us. Jesus brings encouragement through us. Jesus touches people’s lives through us. Jesus is promising us, in relationship to prayer in this passage, that if we’re part of the whoever, if we’re believers, we will do the works of Jesus and greater works will we do. He ties this to two prayer promises: "Whatever you ask in my name, this will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it."

Whatever. Anything. Whatever does mean whatever, in the context of the whatever that it’s talking about. If we were watching a football game together and we’re looking at some high school athlete. Greg and I are there, we’re watching football. And I say to Greg, "Man, look at that guy. He can run, he can pass, he can block, he can tackle. Man, the kid can do anything."

Do you immediately think that I’m saying he can perform brain surgery, he can play a piano concerto, he could tear apart a Formula One engine and build it back together? Because he can do anything, I just said that. Do you think that’s what I mean? Or when I say he can do anything, I mean anything in the context of football? Jesus says, "Ask whatever, ask me anything and I’ll do it." It’s in the context of what? "The works that I do will you do also, and greater works than these shall you do because I’m going to the Father."

There’s a lot of prayer promises, and they all have some mystery behind them. Anybody who tells you they know everything about prayer is blowing smoke. I know enough of the Bible and personal experience that God hears and answers my prayers. I know enough of the Bible and personal experience that God doesn’t answer every prayer the way I pray it. What is he saying in this passage that’s simple to understand? He’s saying this: "The works that I do will you do also and greater works than these will you do because I go to the Father."

"Whatever you ask or anything you ask about those kind of works, the works that I do and the greater works that I will do through you, whatever you ask about that, I’ll do." Let me ask you: What are you praying for? Are you praying for Jesus to use you to bless your neighbor and bring salvation to your neighbor’s life? Are you praying for Jesus to use you to bring healing into the life of hurting people around you?

Are you asking Jesus to use you to serve other believers? Are you asking Jesus to use you to bring miraculous answers to prayer into people’s lives? Are you asking Jesus to use you to confront false teaching with the truth of the Gospel? Are you asking Jesus to use you to be a conduit through which he can do his works and even do greater works? Are you asking Jesus to do miracles in your life that will point people to Jesus Christ?

Are we as a church saying, "Jesus, do your greater works through us. Use our church to bless this community and reach the nations with the greater works of Jesus Christ. Do what only you can do, Jesus." Jesus is making some amazing promises here, simple to understand, mysterious to comprehend, and even more difficult to actually practice.

Greg: What a great message for all of us today. Pastor JP provides us with great insight. That is why we’d like to make it available to you on CD. Just get in touch and mention today’s date. We’ll send it your way for just $5. Or if you’d like to support this ministry, you can write us at Truth That Changes Lives: 23331 Moulton Parkway, Laguna Hills, California 92653, or give us a call at 949-916-0250. That’s 949-916-0250.

For your gift of $25 or more, we will send you a signed copy of JP’s new book, *Facing Goliath*. Please join us every Sunday at 9:00 or 11:00 AM at Crossline Church in Laguna Hills. The address is 23331 Moulton Parkway, Laguna Hills, California 92653. Or check us out on the web at CrosslineChurch.com. We’re going to get to the address and phone number again in a moment, but before we do that, Pastor JP, do you have any insight from today’s message?

JP Jones: Thanks Greg. We’re in this series called Red Letter. We’re looking at the teachings of Jesus and especially these teachings in what’s known as the Upper Room Discourse, John 14, 15, and 16. In this section, Jesus talks about intimacy with God, connection with God, and connection with one another. Jesus calls followers of Jesus Christ to really know him and seek him and believe in him and abide in him and experience him, and to live that out in loving community with other believers and in positive witness to the world.

Jesus promises in John 14, 12 to 14, that we will do greater works in Jesus’s name as we come to him in prayer. This is a great promise of prayer. Jesus says that he hears prayer, he answers prayer; in fact, he does miracles in response to prayer. I’ll be the first to tell you there are great mysteries related to prayer, and there are passages that are rather difficult to understand. But this is one of those passages that’s straightforward.

Jesus says the key to greater works or the key to greater miracles is as we come to him and pray to him and ask him to do what only he can do in our lives. I’ve discovered that there’s nothing in anyone’s life that a miracle wouldn’t cure. I believe even as you’re listening to this message, you’re thinking, "Boy, if I could experience a miracle, it would just solve everything." The key to miracles is the goodness and greatness of God.

The key to access God’s miracles is coming to God through Jesus Christ and asking God in Jesus’s name to do what only God could do. God is calling us to believe in him, to believe great thoughts about him, to pray great prayers of him, to attempt great things for him, and to abide in him so that he might do great things in us and through us. The greater works of Jesus come as a result of prayer. What Jesus is calling us to is a deeper experience of prayer, a deeper passion in prayer, a deeper obedience in prayer, and a deeper actual personal experience of prayer.

What God wants from me and what God wants from you is to seek him, to love him, to serve him, to abide in him, to believe in him, and to pray to him. He promises in the book of Jeremiah: "Call to me and I will show you great and mighty things that you do not know." What is that great and mighty thing that you want God to do in your life? Ask him. Believe him for it. And in Jesus’s name, ask Jesus to fulfill his promise to do greater works in you and through you.

Let me pray for us. Jesus, do your greater works for the glory of God, to our blessing, to the joy of others. We pray for that in Jesus’s name. Amen.

Greg: We want to help you in your relationship with Christ. Please get in touch with us at Truth That Changes Lives: 23331 Moulton Parkway, Laguna Hills, California 92653, or call us at 949-916-0250. On the internet, you will find us at CrosslineChurch.com. We hope to see you at one of our services every Sunday at our new campus in Laguna Hills. For more information and directions, please go to CrosslineChurch.com. Please join us next time on Truth That Changes Lives.