Give Us A Greater Heart

Q: What does the Bible say about asking in Jesus' name?

John 14:13-14 teaches that whatever we ask in Jesus' name, He will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. In John 14:13-14, Jesus assures us that when we ask anything in His name, He will fulfill it. This promise highlights the importance of approaching God through faith in Christ, recognizing that our requests should align with His will and glory. The assurance that we can ask and receive is rooted in our relationship with Him as chosen people who are redeemed by His blood. It's a reminder that our prayers are not a means to fulfill our own desires but to glorify God and illustrate our dependence on His provision.

Q: How do we know God answers prayers?

God answers our prayers when we ask in alignment with His will and for His glory. God's promise to answer our prayers is intricately tied to our relationship with Him through Christ. When we pray in Jesus’ name, we acknowledge His lordship and our reliance on His redemptive work. This means that our prayers should not merely focus on worldly desires but rather seek the advancement of His kingdom and purpose. In John 16:24, Jesus encourages us to ask so that our joy may be full, reflecting that God delights in granting requests that enhance our understanding of His goodness and grace.

Q: Why is a heart for Christ important for Christians?

A heart for Christ is essential for genuine faith and evidence of God's mercy and grace in our lives. A heart for Christ is foundational to a Christian's life. As stated in the sermon, when the Lord grants us a greater heart for Christ, it signifies that we are responding to His love and mercy. This desire for Christ demonstrates the evidence of salvation, as we become increasingly aware of our need for Him amidst our natural inclination towards worldly distractions. The apostle Paul illustrates this in Philippians 3, where he expresses the need to count all things as loss for Christ, showing that true worth and fulfillment in life come from knowing Him more deeply.

Q: What should we ask the Lord for in our prayers?

We should ask the Lord for a greater heart for Christ, the gospel, worship, and His people. In the sermon, the preacher emphasizes four key areas for prayer: a greater heart for Christ, for the gospel, for worship, and for His people. These requests reflect a desire for spiritual growth and alignment with God's will. A greater heart for Christ leads to deeper devotion and reliance on Him, while asking for a greater heart for the gospel fosters boldness in sharing the Good News. Additionally, a heart for worship engages us truly in praising God, and a heart for His people promotes unity and love within the church. These requests encourage personal transformation and a thriving community of believers.

Q: Why is it important for Christians to worship?

Worship is vital as it embodies our love and devotion to God, drawing us closer to Him. Worship is not just an obligation; it is a vital expression of our relationship with God. True worship encompasses our hearts and minds, allowing us to encounter the holiness of God and respond in gratitude and adoration. The preacher stresses the necessity of asking the Lord for a greater heart for worship, highlighting that authentic worship brings us closer to Him. As we gather in His name, we are reminded of His presence among us, and our spirits are uplifted through communal worship. This engagement helps to strengthen our faith and unify the body of Christ in shared devotion.

Q: How can we cultivate love for our fellow Christians?

We can cultivate love for our fellow Christians by asking the Lord for a greater heart for our brethren. Cultivating love for our fellow believers is essential for the health of the church community. The preacher encourages us to sincerely ask the Lord to increase our affection and unity with one another. This prayerful approach acknowledges our struggles with selfishness and naturally divergent paths. By seeking God's help in fostering a greater heart for our brethren, we open ourselves to deeper relationships, forgiveness, and mutual support. Psalm 133 illustrates the blessings that come from unity among brethren, and it is through God's grace that we can experience this togetherness.

John 14, I'm going to use verses 13 and 14 for a text because I have something that's been on my heart for quite a while now. that I want to deeply exhort us to do. This is something that normally I would bring for a Bible study. And maybe if I was going to be here Sunday morning, I would have brought this for the Bible study, but I'm not, and it just can't wait. I can't wait until, I can't wait. It's tonight. It's either this or nothing. I deeply, deeply, deeply want to exhort us to do something.

And I mean it, you know, we have different, we look at different things in the scripture, it's all revolving around Christ. But I'm telling you, I just I just I get so weighty about these things and I realize it's not fair to you. You've been in the world all frolicking and playing and doing all that stuff and you come in here and it's like I'm just weighty. But I hope you'll get weighty with me.

OK, that's that's my hope and desire. Alright, look at John 14 verse 13. It says. Our Lord said in whatsoever you shall ask in my name. That will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you shall ask anything in my name, I will do it. Now that's amazing, isn't it? Did you know that our Lord does not exaggerate? You know that? Our Lord does not exaggerate. Our Lord does not lie. And that is amazing. That's very amazing.

He said, you ask in my name and it'll be given to you. It'll be given to you. Look at John 15 verse 16. He said, you have not chosen me. But I have chosen you and ordained you that you should go and bring forth fruit and that your fruit should remain, that whatsoever you shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you. He said to every soul that was chosen, that's who he's talking to here. He's not talking to the world. He's not saying this to everybody in the world. He's talking to God's elect. He's talking to the chosen.

He said, whatever you ask the father in my name, he will give it to you. Look at John 16 verse 23. Our Lord said, John 16, 23. And in that day, you shall ask me nothing. Verily, verily, I say unto you, whatsoever you shall ask the Father in my name, he will give it you. Now watch verse 24. Hitherto have you asked nothing in my name. Ask, and you shall receive. that your joy may be full.

I deeply, I mean this with all my heart, I could well up in tears over this. I'm not trying to be dramatic, I'm just trying to be honest. I could well up with tears over this. I deeply want to exhort all of us to ask the Lord for four things. Four things. And give me just a second to stress the exhortation. All right.

A lot of times we hear an exhortation from God's word and we think, yeah, we need to do that. And then we don't. We hear something in a service, we're all focused in a service, it really hits home with us, and then we leave this building and forget about it. And then we just go right on back to the regular old life that we've been living. That's what we do, all of us.

I'm talking about me too. I'm no better at these things than you are. I'm talking about me too. So let me begin this by really stressing this exhortation. I want to exhort us to do this from here on out. I have a strange thing to say at the moment. I want to exhort us to do this from here on out, but we tend to not do things from here on out. So what I sincerely want to do is exhort us to do this for the next seven days. I know that sounds weird, but I'm being serious. I want to exhort us to do this for the next seven days.

And I'm not about to preach works, okay? I'm not about to preach works. This has nothing to do with man's works. It cannot have anything to do with man's works if we are asking in Christ's name. It can't. Not if we're truly asking in Christ's name. His name is the Savior. Salvation is of the Lord. Salvation is of the blood of Jesus Christ, period. His name is the Lord our righteousness. Call His name. His name shall be called the Lord our righteousness.

Jehovah Sidkenu, for those of you who have heard the names of the Lord in the Old Testament. His name is Jehovah Jireh, our provider. We don't provide anything. He provides everything. His name is Jehovah Rapha, the Lord our healer. Jehovah Nisi, the Lord our banner. Jehovah Shalom, the Lord our peace. Jehovah Rea, the Lord our shepherd. Jehovah Shama, the Lord, our present help.

The Lord is all of those things. We are none of those things. The Lord is all of those things. Salvation is by the choice of God, the work of God, the call of God. Salvation is of the Lord. That's his name. All of that is his name. We're coming in his name. So if we're asking in His name, we're coming asking in His work. We're asking in His glory, in His power, and not our own. We're not coming in our own anything. So this is our exhortation tonight.

Verse 24 right here in John 16. It says, hitherto have you asked nothing in my name, ask. And you shall receive that your joy may be full. Back in John 14 verse 13 he said whatsoever you shall ask in my name that will I do. Now that's not our work that's his work. He's declaring his work.

Whatsoever you shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you shall ask anything in my name, I will do it. Now, I deeply want to encourage all of us to ask the Lord for four things. If I've ever been serious, I'm serious right now. I'm so serious right now.

I want to encourage us to do this. I said it's kind of silly, but I said do it for the next seven days. But I mean it to stress, don't just do it once. Do it more than once. I hope that if we did something for seven days, it would become a habit to do it more. But I'm not going to be here preaching to you Sunday. Lord willing, the next time I preach to you is seven days from now. And between now and then.

I want to stress this, it's not a. It's not just something, it's not just a statement to get us through another message, just something to say to get us through another message. If I could, I'd go through the pews and I would name each one of your name, each one of your first names, and I would say your first name. and tell you how deeply I want to stress this to you. That's just not appropriate. I'm just not going to do that.

I want each one of you to know that your names are in my heart. They're in my heart. I've been thinking about where you sit. I sit in my study from this point of view. I know your faces. My name is on the top of the list. Gabe, I want you to do this.

And we're going to ask the Lord for some things, and I know I'm going to tell you what it is, but I want to preface that we need to be careful what we ask for. I want to preface by saying this. We need to be careful what we ask for. Let's not just ask the Lord for health, wealth or happiness.

Those are the Lord may give it to us. He really does give. He really does answer. And he may give those things to us and it may not go well for us. Honestly, it may cause us to just walk away from Christ, he may he may make us so healthy, so wealthy and so happy, we just plum walk away from Christ. If we ask for the things of the world, he may just give us the things of the world. And the things of the world may just draw our attention away from him.

So I have four things. These are safe things. These are good things because they're saving things. Number one, here we go. Number one. Let's ask the Lord to give us a greater heart for Christ. And this is not just a four point outline. This is not just a four point outline. I don't want the gospel to leave America. This is my deep concern. I don't I do not. I'm begging the Lord to not to keep the gospel from leaving America.

Let's ask the Lord to give us a greater heart for Christ, a greater desire for Christ, a greater need for Christ. I think about us, all of God's people. The children of Israel in the Old Testament is a very good comparison to us. And think about the Lord's dealings with them. Think about how often they forgot God. Let's ask the Lord to give us a greater heart for Christ. If he will give us this true heart, desire, and need for Christ, it'll be evidenced by the fact that Mercy and grace has come to us. It will show his. That is the evidence of mercy and grace, a heart for Christ. He's already said that he's speaking this to his chosen. That's what he said, his elect.

If we are chosen of the father, then we are redeemed of the blood of the son. If the father chose us, the son redeemed us period. And if the Son redeemed us, then the Spirit has called us or will call us. And it'll be made known to us that we're included in this number that he's speaking to. We will be given a heart for Christ. We will be.

That's the evidence of life. And I want to exhort all of us to ask the Lord to increase that evidence. There's so many things the disciples asked for. Lord, increase our faith. Increase our love, increase our unity, increase grace, he giveth more grace. Lord, increase this evidence of life. Give me a heart for Christ. Ask that. Ask that. If he's given you a heart for Christ, ask that. Lord, give me a desire for Christ. Give me a need for Christ.

The things of this world, we have a desire for them. The things of this world, we have a need for them. The things of this world, we have a heart for them, and it's so easy to have a heart for them. It's so easy to be taken by them and consumed by them.

Lord, give me a heart for Christ. While my heart is so clearly in love with and consumed with the things of this world, overrule that worldly affection and give me a greater heart for Christ. Give me a greater heart for Christ. Turn over to Philippians 3.

Philippians 3, verse 7, Paul said, what things were gained to me, those I counted loss for Christ. Yea, doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I've suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dumb that I may win Christ and be found in him. not having mine own righteousness which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith, that I may know him in the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death, if by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead. Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect, But I follow after, if that I may apprehend that, for which also I'm apprehended of Christ Jesus. Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended, but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind. and reaching forth unto those things which are before I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.

Lord, give me a greater heart for Christ. Number two, let's ask the Lord to give us a greater heart for the gospel. The gospel of God's word, we are so, and again, me included. It may be hard to believe, but it shouldn't be, me included. We are all so consumed with the good news of man.

Man's things, man's words, man's thoughts, man's opinions. What does man think about this subject and what does man think about that subject? This dead flesh naturally loves the things of dead flesh. It is naturally drawn to the dead things of dead flesh. And it takes the power of God to quicken us, to make us alive to the things of God's spirit. And I'll give you an example of what I mean by that.

When the children of Israel were with Moses in the wilderness, God provided for them every day with something they could live on and feed on called manna. Every day. Spiritually, that represents the heavenly bread of the gospel that our Lord has provided to strengthen us and feed us every day. And after 40 years of God's faithful provision, all of the children of Israel ended up saying, we're getting so tired of this light bread. We're getting so tired of this light bread. We're getting so tired of being fed this same thing day after day.

Now, honestly, honestly. If the children of Israel would have cried, Lord, give us a greater heart for your manna. Had they cried that, if they would have asked, Lord, give us a greater heart for this. Do you believe the Lord would have given them a greater heart for that? Absolutely he would have. Absolutely he would have.

Go over to Acts chapter 4 with me. Acts chapter 4, the heading at the top of my page says, the church prayeth to God. This is a prayer of the church. Verse 24, when they heard that, they lifted up their voice to God with one accord and said, now here's their prayer.

Lord, thou art God, which has made heaven and earth and the sea and all that in them is, who by the mouth of thy servant David has said, why did the heathen rage and the people imagine vain things? The kings of the earth stood up and the rulers were gathered together against the Lord and against his Christ for of a truth against thy holy child Jesus whom thou hast anointed. Both Herod and Pontius Pilate with the Gentiles and the people of Israel were gathered together for to do whatsoever thy hand and thy counsel determined before to be done. And now, Lord, behold their threatenings and grant unto thy servants. Now listen, here's their petition. This is what they're asking. Behold their threatenings and grant unto thy servants that with all boldness they may speak thy word.

By stretching forth thy hand to heal, and that signs and wonders may be done by the name of thy holy child, Jesus. Verse 31, and when they had prayed, they finished their prayer. Once their prayer was finished, the place was shaken where they were assembled together, and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and they spake the word of God with boldness. and the multitude of them that believed were of one heart and of one soul, neither said any of them that ought of the things which he possessed was his own, but they had all things common and with great power gave the apostles witness of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus and great grace was upon them. Neither was there any among them that lacked, for as many as were possessors of lands or houses sold them, and brought the prices of the things that were sold, and laid them down at the apostles' feet, and distribution was made unto every man according as he had need." That's beautiful, isn't it?

Lord, give that to us. Give that to us. Give us a greater heart for Christ and give us a greater heart for the gospel, a greater boldness to preach it and to hear it and to believe it and to love it. Number three, let's ask the Lord to give us a greater heart for worship. Now, I need this more than anybody.

I am preaching. I told a brother that I was about to preach my fourth message of the week. And he corrected me and said, Sunday's the first day of the week. You're about to preach your seventh message of the week. So, OK, this is my seventh message of the week. We did two TV broadcasts yesterday morning.

Nobody needs this more than I do. Lord, give me a greater heart for worship. Worship. True worship. Not just getting the job done. Let's not all be here tonight to just get the job done. I mean true worship. Lord, please give. us, give me a greater heart for worship. We are all so prone to wonder, even if we're here. We're all so prone to wonder, so prone to leave the God and the gospel that we love.

And there's no blessing in that state. There's just no blessing in that state. You know, our Lord said when two or three are gathered together in my name, I mean in my name, physically in body and in heart, he said, that's when I'm with you. And this flesh, I'm just going to be honest with you, this flesh doesn't desire worship.

Now God overrules us, His Spirit causes us to bow before Him and to worship Him. He puts a love in us for Him and He does that for us, but I'm talking about on our own. If He ever just lets us get out just a little bit, just on the edge, on our own, I'm talking about on our own, this is not our thing. This is just not it. Sinful flesh prefers not assembling together with the saints. You love it when that works out. I don't think I'm gonna be able to make it. I'm not trying to put a guilt trip on anybody. I'm not. Sinful flesh just prefers that. It's very desirable for all of us to forsake the assembling of ourselves together, even when we're here. It's very desirable to zone out. Very desirable to take care of business in your head.

There is light with the Lord. Man is in darkness. There is light with the Lord. And if we would like to be able to sincerely say, I was glad when they said to me, let's go to the house of the Lord. If you would like to sincerely be glad to be here, you know, we all have stories of before the Lord opened our eyes, nobody wanted to go to church. Nobody did. And then all of a sudden, everybody's shocked that the Lord made me want to worship God. He made me want to be here. If you would like to be able to say, I was glad when they said, let's go to the house of the Lord.

Lord, a day in thy courts is better than a thousand. If we would like to say that and actually truly mean it, according to God's word, all we have to do is ask. All we have to do is ask, Lord, please give me a heart for worship, a greater heart for Christ, a greater heart for the gospel, and a greater heart for worship. Number four, last thing. Let's ask the Lord to give us a greater heart for his people. Let's ask the Lord to give us a greater heart for our brethren, a greater heart for each other, a greater love, a greater forgiveness. A greater friendship. People grow apart. People grow apart. We all get caught up in our own lives, our lives, you know, and we grow apart and we shouldn't. We just shouldn't.

David said in Psalm 133, Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity. Because we, God's people, and I'm going to be a little hard on us here, forgive me, but it's the truth. Because we are all so selfishly sinful. We're so selfish. We're so selfish. I am so selfish. Because we're all of us, we're so selfishly sinful. The only way that it can be said that it's good and pleasant is in unity, in one, in Christ. That's the only way. In ourselves, we're so prone to offending each other. We offend, we offend, we offend.

And then we decide we don't want to be friends anymore. We don't want to be friends with each other anymore. And we say to ourselves, now I still love my brethren, okay? I have to love. You know, God said by this shall all men know you're my disciples if you have love. So in Christ I love.

I just don't like. I just don't like. That's what sinful flesh is prone to. That's what it literally wants to do. That's what it enjoys. That's tough, isn't it? Maybe a little too honest, but. I want to exhort all of us, brethren, let's fervently, sincerely ask the Lord to give us a true heart for each other. I do believe, just so everybody knows, there's no problems. I'm not like shooting at anybody. Everybody's fine. This congregation loves each other. I just want to keep it that way. If you are living inside flesh, you know what I'm talking about.

Let's fervently, sincerely ask the Lord to give us a true heart for our brethren. Lord, give me a greater heart for my brethren. Give me a greater heart, give me more love and more forgiveness and more like. Would you let me like them more? Do you know how pleasant that would be? If the Lord would keep a love and a fellowship, that would be so good and pleasant.

And here's the thing about it. In Christ, that's how it's gonna be. In Christ, that's how it's gonna be. If God will keep us in Christ, and he will, he will. And our Lord said, I'm going to do all these things for you. I'm going to keep you in Christ. I'm going to keep you in my love. I'm going to keep you in my, he's, if, if we belong to him, we're going to be kept by the power of God. We're not going anywhere. They went out from us because they were not of us. That's the only reason.

Our Lord said, I'm going to do all these things for you. Yet, he said, I'm going to be inquired of to do it for them. They're going to ask me to do these things for them. Let's ask him. Let's not like like the children of Israel in the Old Testament. Bless their hearts, bless our hearts.

I don't need I don't want his correction, Lord, just just keep me looking to you. Keep me looking to you, Lord, please give me a greater heart. I do sincerely pray that all of us will take this to heart and will actually ask the Lord for these things. Try, do whatever you can do to keep this in mind. Lord, please give me a greater heart for Christ. Give me a greater heart for the gospel. Give me a greater heart for worship and give me a greater heart for your people. Please do this.

Lord, we ask this in your name. because of your work, because of what you've done for us, because you did all these things for us. We ask, we ask for Christ's sake. I pray this will, I pray this will be a comfort. I pray this will be a blessing. I pray the Lord will use it. Amen.

Give Us A Greater Heart

Key Quotes

What does the Bible say about asking in Jesus' name?

How do we know God answers prayers?

Why is a heart for Christ important for Christians?

What should we ask the Lord for in our prayers?

Why is it important for Christians to worship?

How can we cultivate love for our fellow Christians?

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