In Jesus's Name Isn't a Blank Check 🔥

We’ve all heard it: “Whatever you ask in My name, I will do it.” But what does that really mean?

In this episode, Pastor Chris dives deep into John 14:13–14 to dismantle the myth of a "vending machine God" and explore what it truly means to pray in alignment with Jesus' character, mission, and Kingdom.

✅ Why prayer is not about personal gain ✅ How culture has warped our view of blessing ✅ What holiness actually means in a chaotic world ✅ Why your prayers must glorify God—not yourself

🙏 Jesus still answers prayers—but not on our terms. Real prayer is relational, purposeful, and always rooted in surrender.

🔗 Tune in now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or visit hff.church 💬 Like, comment, and share this episode with someone who needs to hear it.

#KingdomOverComfort #InJesusName #HHPpodcast #FaithOverFeeling #PrayerLife #BibleTruth #JesusStillAnswers #OnMissionWithJesus #HolinessMatters #podcast #churchpodcast #bibleverseincontext #shortsermon 

Episode Transcript

(00:00):
One of the things that we see in Western Christianity in the church and ministries is a lot of times
we take the scripture, we take God, we take Jesus, and we use them for our benefit or
our blessing.
And while that is great, we also have to understand that God is blessing, which means there's

(00:21):
something we should do to be more like God.
Welcome to the HHP Podcast.
My name is Chris Franke and I am the senior pastor of HFF Church in Oklahoma City.
Join me and others from around the country as we talk all things Bible, church, and family.
We may be right, we may be heretical, but that's for you to decide.

(00:43):
Drop a like, a share, a comment, subscribe, and let's get to it.
One of the things we see not only in Peter, but also in Peter is actually referencing
back into the holiness code of Leviticus and even passages in Exodus is that we are to
be holy because God is holy.

(01:04):
And so as we look at Leviticus and we look at where this originally comes from, we see
that God is holy.
And for us to be a holy people, it's not that we are holy, it's that we are reflecting
the nature and the character of God on this earth.
It doesn't immediately say like, "Okay, well because I'm a born again Christian, I believe

(01:29):
Jesus is my salvation that now I'm a holy person."
Well, God is holy always.
We have moments where we reflect His character and His nature and we have moments where we
reflect ours or the culture.
And today I want to look at another verse that is commonly used out of context inside
the scriptures, John chapter 14 verse 13 and 14 says, "Whatever you ask in my name, this

(01:56):
I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.
If you ask for anything in my name, I will do it."
Whatever you ask in my name is not a blank check.
This is not the prosperity gospel where if you name it or you ask for it in the name
of Jesus or Yeshua or Yahweh or God or Lord or all the other titles and names that are

(02:18):
used that somehow God is obligated to give you whatever you ask.
I can ask God today, I can say, "Lord, give me a mansion."
And this scripture is not what is saying there.
It's not a blank check for the Lord to just give you whatever you want.
That's not what Jesus is saying.
It's not about riches and comfort.

(02:38):
And it's not that you will automatically receive it.
In His name means in alignment, we're asking for something in alignment with His character,
in agreement with His will and for the purposes of the glory of God, not just to serve ourselves.
It's more of a relational request like a trusted ambassador or representative asking on behalf

(03:01):
of the King.
If we ask for something that is not in the nature of the character or for the glory of
God, He is not obligated in any way, shape or form to give that to us.
And sometimes we use this passage in that way.
It also says that the Father may be glorified in the Son.
And the purpose of this statement matters.
The goal of an answered prayer isn't for your benefit.

(03:25):
It's for the glory of God.
And if you get the glory, not God, then that's not what the scripture is for.
The scripture is not so that man can be glorified.
We see that countless times, not only in Jesus' ministry, but also in the apostles after the
death, burial and resurrection.
Jesus answers prayers that help advance His mission, that will help us deepen our faith

(03:50):
and that will help us reflect the Kingdom of God as we do the work of the Kingdom of
God on earth as it is in heaven.
I will do.
Jesus is still active.
So this isn't some sort of past tense promise, you know, "Hey, while I'm on this earth, I
will do this," or "Hey, I have done this in the past."

(04:12):
Even after the resurrection and the ascension, Jesus remains present and powerful.
He's still working in and through His people.
This means we should pray boldly.
But our prayer should be with the Kingdom focus, not with the selfish focus.
We need to align our hearts with Jesus' mission when we pray.

(04:33):
This is one reason why you must know the Word of God.
You have to understand what the Word of God says about the mission of Jesus.
Otherwise, you might be praying for something that is completely contrary to the mission
of Jesus.
Prayer is not a vending machine.
I've said it multiple times in other sermons.
God is not a genie who is there to grant us our wishes.

(04:54):
Prayer is a relationship of trust and purpose and submission to the power of God.
In Jesus' answers, they will bring glory to the Father and Himself and it will fulfill
His will.
In Jesus' name, it isn't just some magic phrase or some sort of "get out of jail free"

(05:17):
card.
It's a mindset and a hard posture of complete surrender and trust aligned with the Kingdom.
What do we do with this today?
We live in a world that has instant gratification and it reframes prayer for a lot of people.
"Lord, if you will just help me make it to work on time.
Lord, if you will just help me to come up with this money.

(05:41):
Or Lord, if you will just help me…"
It's all of these things.
A lot of times we make oaths and vows so the Lord in prayer, that's reframing the whole
concept of prayer to be gratification for ourselves, not for furthering the Kingdom.
We can't use God as a spiritual vending machine and then insert a prayer and expect

(06:01):
immediate answers.
Jesus reminds us that real prayer is actually about alignment.
It's about aligning our thoughts, our heart postures, our mind and asking in His name
for His mission to come to fruition on the earth.
It also teaches us that we should have discernment in a culture that is noisy.

(06:24):
There's noise everywhere.
There's chaos everywhere.
And remember the Holy Spirit and Jesus, they are order.
So it should teach us which voice is telling us what to pursue.
If you're praying for wealth and fame and security in this life, then you're praying
for something that even Jesus Himself did not have.

(06:46):
And it should call us to filter out our desires through the lenses of what Jesus' values
were not only for Himself, but what He also asked of us.
So before we just ask God for something, we are invited to ask ourselves, "Is my request,
is my prayer, is what I'm asking for in the name of Jesus, is it a request that's actually

(07:11):
going to glorify the Father or glorify myself?"
It also invites us into a place where it counters and fights against this me-centered faith,
this "I am the center of the universe."
Jesus and His kingdom are the center of the universe.
And modern culture often sentences around self-fulfillment, self-reliance.

(07:36):
Jesus flips that cultural element and He teaches that the purpose of an answered prayer is
not personal gain, but that God would be glorified.
This is counter-cultural and it's crucial for us to understand if we're going to combat
what we see in our culture.
It's not about your gain.
It's about the kingdom of God being glorified and manifested.

(07:58):
It also gives us hope in a world that is constantly hurting.
People face real pain.
There's uncertainty, there's injustice, there's crimes, there's all kinds of things.
These are the same things we've seen all throughout the scripture, the Old Testament, the prophets,
and the gospels.
And these verses are a promise that Jesus isn't some far-off God.

(08:21):
He isn't some daddy God sitting up in the clouds who doesn't care about His people.
He is an ever-present God who hears and He responds, but not always how we expect.
But He will always respond in a way that leads to an eternal purpose.
It also lets us know Jesus still answers prayers, not always on our terms, not always the way

(08:48):
we want, but He answers them in a way that grows us, shapes us, and should mold us to
be kingdom people on a kingdom mission.
And the kingdom mission will always glorify God, not us.
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(09:09):
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