Dear Christian friends:

We Christians have a very strong hunger. Not a hunger for food. We have plenty of food, often too much. We have another hunger which God's Word and Jesus have awakened in our souls. The Ten Commandments teach us to love God and love our neighbor. To do good and be kind and brave.

We have also seen how Jesus loved God very beautifully and also how Jesus loved people even His enemies. He never hated anyone. He was not proud or jealous. Jesus was always very good loving God His Father and loving people.

When we Christians see how good Jesus is and then we see ourselves and compare ourselves with Him we feel very ashamed, sad and sorry. We have still much anger and hate, pride and jealousy in our hearts. We don't really love others and be patient with them and forgive them and help them. We get fed up and quit. But then we feel ashamed and remorse.

We hunger to be like Jesus and like God wants us to be. Then we would be satisfied and very happy:

I long to be like Jesus,
Meek, loving, lowly, mild;
I long to be like Jesus,
The Father's holy Child.
I long to be with Jesus
Amid the heavenly throng
To sing with saints His praises,
To learn the angels' song.
(TLH hymn 652, "I Lay My Sins On Jesus")

Here in our text Jesus tells us very good news. He says that we can be like Him. He says, "Very truly I tell you, my Father will give you whatever you ask in my name. Until now you have not asked for anything in my name. Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be complete." (John 16:23-24)

So by praying to God the Father in Jesus' name we can receive His love and His goodness and then our hunger will be satisfied and we will be very happy. But if we hope to receive Jesus' love and goodness and holiness and not sin we must know what it means to pray in Jesus' name.

Perhaps I can help you to understand that by using a check. I think all of you have a check book and you know how to write a check. But you know that before you can write a check and sign your name you must put money in your checking account at the bank. If you try to write a check without money in the bank what will happen? Yes, the police will come and get you and put you in jail.

But if you first open a checking account at the bank, then you can write checks and sign your name. You give it to the grocery man for some food. Then the grocery man goes to the bank to cash your check which you signed. He asks the bank for money in your name. By signing your name on that check you order the bank to pay the grocery man a certain amount of money.

Pray in Jesus' name is like that. God has a bank and it is full of love, and goodness and kindness and courage and patience. We can't get that out of God's bank because we have not put that in there. I only have sins and bad things. God's Bank does not accept sin and bad things. But Jesus has love and goodness. He is very rich. His bank account is enough for all.

If we ask God the Father in Jesus' name God will give us all that we need to be satisfied and happy. God will give it to us because Jesus won it for us on the cross. That's what He means when He here says, "You will ask in my name and I don't tell you I'll ask the Father for you. The Father Himself loves you because you have loved Me and believe that I came from the Father. I left the Father and came into the world and now I'm leaving the world again and going to the Father." (John 16:26-28)

Because we believe that Jesus came from heaven to suffer and die for our sins on the cross and that He arose from death on the Third Day and later ascended into heaven and went back to the Father we know that God will give us forgiveness of sins and with that Jesus' love and goodness.

Jesus here gives us His check and signs His name. So when we pray in Jesus' name we really go to God's Bank and receive all His blessings. Then our hunger is satisfied and we are very happy.

I hope you understand and believe that. If you do you will be happy with me.

Amen.