John 16:22-28 continued----Today's verse, John 16:24

Today we continue our study of John 16:22-28 with a closer look at John 16:24.  The initial overview of John 16:22-28 can be found here.


While the verse close ups of John 16:22 and 16:23 can be found here and here.

John 16:24

 

"Until now you have asked nothing in my name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full."  (John 16:24)

 Grammatical Considerations

Declaration of time:   "Up until now..."  Jesus makes it clear that the type of communication He is stressing in these verse has not occurred as of yet!
Declaration of time 2:  "...and you will receive (and)...joy may be full."  These are things that WILL happen in the future. 
Connective word:  AND.  Cause and affect!  Ask in Jesus' name AND we will receive.  THAT.  We shall ask and receive so THAT our joy will be full.  Cause and affect!

These declarations of time are important.  Jesus is discussing the change in our relationship with the Father and how that will affect how we ask and pray to the Father.  This change had not happened yet but DID once Jesus' rose again after His sacrifice on the cross.  (The "day" that Jesus refers to in John 16:23)

Important terms

All definitions were culled from the Complete Word Study Dictionary from AMG Publishers and/or

Mounce's Complete Expository Dictionary.

          

asked and ask:    see notes to John 16:23

name (in my name):    see notes to John 16:23

receive:

• ESword concordance search---Mat 5:7  Mat 21:22  Mar 6:11 John 3:27  John 7:39   Rom 5:17  James 1:12  James  4:3  1John  5:14
• Definition---to take in whatever manner, to accept

joy:  see notes to John 16:22

 It is important to reiterate that joy is used in connotation with a relationship with God!  That is what will be made full!  That is our true joy.  Joy and pleasure are set apart in the Bible.  Pleasure is a self-centered pursuit.  When we are in our joy (full and growing relationship with God!) we also tend to ask more of the right things because we are trying to live and do what God wants us to do. (James 4:3)  When we are not living in our joy (relationship with God) then we are often asking for things of pleasure---in other words, following our own will and desires.  It is best to be in our JOY with God!  And this only comes from acceptance, acknowledgment and love of and for His Son, Jesus Christ!

full: 

• Definition---to be made full (often to fill an hollow vessel-such as us before we come too accept Jesus as our savior!)  Or to be fulfilled.

Other cross-references

Mat 7:7-8   Eph 1:16-17      Jas 4:1-10  John 15:11  1John 1:3-4  2John 1:12  Psalms 81:10
  

Summation:

Up until now the apostles  had not  asked anything of the Lord in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ.  Only now at the time of his sacrifice and resurrection had Jesus come into His glory.  Only now had He become our intercessor.  Only NOW can we be made FULL by asking and praying in the name of Jesus Christ.  For only now (once we accept Jesus as our Savior and Lord) are we in right relationship with God so as to approach and ask.

“Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved."

John 16:23 verse overview

We continue with our look at John 16:22-28.  The entire section overview can be found here.

And the verse overview of John 16:22 can be found here.

John 16:23          

"In that day you will ask nothing of me. Truly, truly, I say to you, whatever you ask of the Father in my name, he will give it to you."  (John 16:23)

Grammatical Considerations

Future tense:  "In that day"-What Jesus is referring to in this verse will happen at a later date from the time He spoke these words to His apostles.  These conditions would not occur until they saw Him again, after His resurrection. (direct context from John 16:22 )  Also see John 20:20, where the apostles do indeed rejoice when they see the risen Christ!

What will happen:  The apostles (and in the future, us!) will now ask nothing of Jesus!  We will now be able to ask the Father!  The day of which Jesus speaks is the day of His resurrection. (again see John 20:20)  And from that day on, those that have already and will eventually, believe on Him have a different relationship with the Father.  (Heb 10:19-23)

Jesus also makes it clear that whatever we ask the Father in Jesus' name we will receive!  And this is a tricky issue!  It could almost be seen as a blank check in the form of prayer! But it is not.  (more on this later)

Important terms

All definitions were culled from the Complete Word Study Dictionary from AMG Publishers and/or

Mounce's Complete Expository Dictionary.

 

 

ask:

• E-Sword concordance search-- Mat 6:8  Mat 7:7  Mat 7:11  Mat 21:22  Mar 11:24  Luk 11:9       Joh 14:13-14  Joh 15:7  Joh 15:16  Jas 1:5-6  Jas 4:2-3  1Jn 3:22  1Jn 5:14-16  
• Definition--To request, beseech, sometimes even demand.

give-bestow upon:

• E-Sword concordance search--Luk 12:32  Joh 10:28  Joh 14:27  Rom 8:32
• Definition--anything,anything at all  (or something of consequence)

in My name:

• Definition--Of Christ the Messiah as where His name is said so as to be honored, revered. believed on.  When something is done in His name, meaning in and through Him and through FAITH in Him.  Implying authority...to come or do something in or by the name of someone (in this case Jesus!)  By praying in his name we are acknowledging Jesus' authority and lordship.  
• Also to invoke
• Further cross references:   Many references where the apostles have questions for Jesus.  This verse is Jesus telling them they will not have questions any longer on the day they see Him again (His resurrection).  Isa 65:24  Mat 21:22  Heb 10:19-23  Heb 7:25-26  Col 3:17  Heb 10:19-23     

As mentioned above John 16:23  almost sounds like a blank check!  But it is not!

James 1:5-7  makes it clear that faith is of the utmost importance:

If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.  (James 1:5)

But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind.  (James 1:6)

For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord;  (James 1:7)

he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.  (James 1:8)

And if one truly has faith and has accepted Jesus as his or her Savior and Lord then he or she will meet the conditions set forth in James_4:3-4:

You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions.  (James 4:3)

You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.  (James 4:4)

 
1John 5:15-16 also clarifies that we should ask according to God's will:

And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us.  (1 John 5:14)

And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of him.  (1 John 5:15)

To truly ask in Jesus' name with a sincere and humble spirit is what God wants.  When we ask only for our own gain or as James states-"passions", we are already on the wrong path.  

More cross references on prayer:

Mark 11:24  (faith is important in prayer)    James 4:1-5    James 1:5   (we need to see God as desiring to bless)   John 3:9  (we must know that God is free to respond to persons as He wishes)

Patience and persistence is required in prayer: Luke 18:1-7 

Some prayers are unanswered or denied in light of an eventual greater good.  In 2Co 12:7-9  Paul uses his own example to help teach us this fact.

Prayer should be seen as a dialogue according to the Holman Bible Dictionary.

Summation:  We do not need for Jesus to ask the Father on our behalf any longer  Jesus' sacrifice on the cross and resurrection (and our belief and acceptance of this fact) have made it possible to talk directly to the Father without an intercessor.  The chasm between God and man has been repaired. (See all of Romans for a discussion of this doctrine)  Jesus interceded for us once and for all when He died willingly on the cross and then rose again on the third day.  Now we can ask (and speak to) the Father directly 

Hebrews 10:19-23  Sums this up nicely:     

Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus,  (Hebrews 10:19)

by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh,  (Hebrews 10:20)

and since we have a great priest over the house of God,  (Hebrews 10:21)

let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.  (Hebrews 10:22)

Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful.  (Hebrews 10:23)

Until next time!!

“Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved."

John 16:22-28, First verse: John 16:22

JOHN 16:22

After posting the initial overview of each section, I will then go through each verse.  These verse overviews are not meant to be the definitive thought on the verse or the section of Scripture.  They are just a part of the process.  The overview of John 16:22-28 can be found here.  And now here is a breakdown of John 16:22

"So also you have sorrow now, but I will see you again, and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy from you."  (John 16:22)

Some important grammatical considerations

Present tense:  The apostles sorrow will occur is now! (as Jesus is about to leave them)

Future tense:  They will see Jesus again, and they will have joy (Jesus compares the apostles situation to that of a woman given birth.  The woman will feel immense pain during childbirth but the joy that follows because of her new child should dull the memory of the recent pain:

"When a woman is giving birth, she has sorrow because her hour has come, but when she has delivered the baby, she no longer remembers the anguish, for joy that a human being has been born into the world."  (John 16:21))

Connective word:  AND-not only will they rejoice, no one will take that joy away...it will be permanent.

Important terms

All definitions were culled from the Complete Word Study Dictionary from AMG Publishers and/or

Mounce's Complete Expository Dictionary.

Sorrow

• Esword Concordance Search:   Est 9:22,   Psa 13:2,  Psa 119:28,  Pro 10:22.                              The actual word joy is not often used in the New Testament, except for the Gospel of John.
• Definition:  Grief.  Sadness.

Joy

• Search:  Mat 2:10,  Mat 13:20,  Mat 28:8,  Mar ,4:16  Luk 1:14,  Luk 2:10, Luk 15:7,  Joh 15:11 Joy can be found quite often in the Psalms:  Psa51:12.  Psa 126:5.  Paul also uses the word Joy quite a bit. 
• Definition:  to rejoice, gladness (joy imparted from the Holy Spirit) 
• Theological considerations:  Joy is different from pleasure.  Joy (the Greek word) is from a direct relationship with God.  Pleasure (again, the Greek word) is a self-centered pursuit.

Rejoice

• Search:  Paul often uses the word rejoice when discussing our hope in God in Romans. 
• Definition:  To be glad.  In this case an absolute sense of gladness.  (Jesus has been victorious!)  Opposite of mourning!  A constant state (according to Mounce) because of our relationship to Jesus.  In fact the first use of the Greek work in the NT is when the Magi see the star that leads them to baby Jesus. Mat 2:9-10
• Other notable cross references:  Joh 14:27,  Isa 25:9,  Joh 4:14,  Rom 8:35-39 

Verse Summation

The apostles' present sorrow is due to Jesus' impending sacrifice and death on the cross.  (Which Jesus has been discussing with the disciples at the Last Supper.)   What the disciples don't yet know and what Jesus is trying to tell them is that His resurrection will cause them to have absolute and final joy.  This rejoicing is the opposite of the mourning they will do just two days before Jesus' resurrection.  Jesus' victory ensures theirs and our salvation!  And no one can take away that gift.  It IS a gift from God.  Turning our sorrow into joy is a common theme in the Psalms and Isaiah.   Isa 51:11-12,  Isa 12:2-4  

In our next verse study Jesus will explain further to the apostles some of the reasons that they will feel this permanent joy.






“Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved."

John 16:22-28-Initial Observations

John 16:22-28

So also you have sorrow now, but I will see you again, and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy from you.  (John 16:22)

In that day you will ask nothing of me. Truly, truly, I say to you, whatever you ask of the Father in my name, he will give it to you.  (John 16:23)

Until now you have asked nothing in my name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full.  (John 16:24)

"I have said these things to you in figures of speech. The hour is coming when I will no longer speak to you in figures of speech but will tell you plainly about the Father.  (John 16:25)

In that day you will ask in my name, and I do not say to you that I will ask the Father on your behalf;  (John 16:26)

for the Father himself loves you, because you have loved me and have believed that I came from God.  (John 16:27)

I came from the Father and have come into the world, and now I am leaving the world and going to the Father."  (John 16:28)

“Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.”

Initial Observations

Things Emphasized: 

• That we will ask the Father in Jesus' name.  (and that we will not necessarily ask Jesus himself...nor will He need to ask the Father for us)
• Jesus will tell the apostles plainly about the Father.
• The nature of Jesus' relationship with and to the Father.
• The difference between asking Jesus and asking the Father in Jesus' name.

Things Repeated:

• The apostles (and we) will ask the Father in Jesus' name.

Cause and Effect:

• When the apostles see Jesus again they will rejoice and no one will take that joy from them.
• On the day of Jesus' resurrection things will be made clear, joy and peace will be received, and our relationship with the Father will have been changed.
• Our ability to ask the Father directly is a direct effect of our loving and believing in His Son, Jesus Christ!
• When we ask in Jesus' name we will receive, so that our joy will be made full.  (John_16:24)  
• God loves us because we love His Son Jesus, and because we believe that Jesus came from the Father Himself.

Author:

• The Apostle John.

People:

• Jesus
• His disciples.

Place and time:

• Location of The Passover Feast
• The night before Jesus' crucifixion.
• Jesus' last real teachings and words to his disciples before His sacrifice and resurrection.

Audience:

• Jesus' apostles (and by proxy--US!)
• Jesus' final discourse to His apostles, of which these verses are a part, is mostly in the future tense.  He is educating his disciples, and us, as to what will happen after His sacrifice and resurrection.

The Gospel of John:

• Emphasizes the deity in Jesus.
• Knowing (Jesus) and Believing (in Jesus) are key terms in John's Gospel.  Always used as verbs.
• John wants us to understand the divine nature of Jesus and that Jesus is our Savior!
• Also tends emphasizes the fact the we need to make a choice about Jesus!  

(sources for observation were the ESV, the NASB and Ryken's Bible Handbook) 

In my next post I will begin to dive into the individual verses.

A few thoughts on Bible study tools...........

As most good guides on Bible study (Living by the Book, How to Study the Bible for Yourself etc. etc.) will tell you:  It is always best to consult the Scriptures first before using various study aids and tools.  I think this is very true when it comes to commentaries!

As I don't know the Hebrew or Greek languages, I do find it imperative to use a good Bible Dictionary (both language and expository) early in the process.  In fact the esword concordance (search function) and the Word Study Dictionary are my two most consulted and valuable study tools! (After the Bible itself, of course)

What follows is  a briefly annotated list of the study aids I find the most valuable and why:

1)  Esword Bible Software:
---This software enables the user to get right to work.  The free download comes with the KJV Bible, the search feature (which acts as your concordance), and strong's dictionary.  A person could do just fine with just those modules!!  Other FREE modules include the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge reference tool, Matthew Henry's Commentary and others.   One can add other modules at cost as well if he or she so desires.  A great piece of software that allows the user to be more efficient with his or her Bible study time.   I cannot stress how useful that this software is!  Concordance searches are of the UTMOST importance in Bible study but they can be VERY time consuming when using books.  The Esword software cuts that time in half!  Searching the concordance is the largest and most frutiful part of my Bible study.  It is the basis for everything that follows.  And it is SO much easier when using the search function in ESword.

2)  ESV, REB, NASB, and the NLT:
---As I stated in an earlier post I do not plan on entertaining any debates over which Bible translation is good, better or worse.  Pick a few that speak to you and use them!  I like the four listed above.  They all read fairly differently and have proven very fruitful when comparing passages.  My favorite reading Bibles are the REB and the NKJV.  If you ARE torn by all the various opinions floating around regarding Bible translations I HIGHLY recommend the following book, "The Complete Guide To Bible Translations" by Dr. Rhodes.
Dr. Rhodes has a written a VERY unbiased description of all the major translations.  Really wonderful book that helped me to get past the "what translation should I use" obsession and get right down to studying!

3)  Complete Word Study Dictionary:
---You can buy the actual books OR purchase them as a complete module for esword (which is what I did!)
Much more detailed than Strong's and can also serve as an expository dictionary.  The esword module is tied into the strong's module so finding a word is as easy as clicking on it in the Bible verse.   I also consult Vine's expository dictionary and Mounce's expository dictionary but I could, and often do, get by with just using the Complete Word Study Dictionary.

4)  ESV Literary Study Bible or Ryken's Bible Handbook:
---These two sources are very similar.  Knowing the form of the literature can be huge and I think this an important resource and can bring a fresh perspective when reading and studying.   Ryken's handbook is great!  It does a great job of giving some introductory information to to get the student started, while still giving plenty of room for that student's self-discovery through his or her own study time and methods.  Highly recommended!

5)  Treasury of Scripture Knowledge:
---As stated above this a free add-on module for Esword.  It is a great help when looking for additional Scriptural cross-references one may have missed during his or her own concordance searches.  I have found this to VERY valuable!


5)  Mathew Henry's Commentary--ESV Study Bible:
---After I have searched, checked out term definitions and let the Scriptural cross-references do most of the work I write a summary of the section I am studying.  I "check" this summary with Matthew Henry's Commentary and the ESV Study Bible commentary and a few others but these are the two best that I have found up to this point!  Notice I listed the commentaries LAST!  They ARE important and they should be checked but the tools that allow us to compare Scripture to Scripture are the most important.

Of course there are other study tools and software!  These are just the ones that I use find myself consulting the most.

Next post:  Finally, we begin to look at John 16:22-28.

My method of Bible Study

Since I am going to be sharing my Bible studies here on this blog, I thought it only fair that I share my method of study.

My method is based on having read Living By The Book by Howard Hendricks, and working through the accompanying workbook.

This was the book I found in the Denver Airport over two years ago.  I wasn't even interested in finding a book to read for the flight, let alone looking for a book on Bible study!  And yet I felt compelled to go to the bookstore and there it was!  I did not purchase the book right away but I got it soon thereafter and have been grateful to God ever since for sending me to that bookstore!  And I can not say enough about Henricks' book.  A truly wonderful textbook written by a master teacher.

Below is my method for studying a section of the Bible.  I have not yet worked up to studying an entire book.  I do jump around a bit.  Still if you are going to be reading my thoughts you should know how I go about it!
 
So here is my method based on the Howard Hendricks book:

PART I-READING, LABELING AND ASKING:

-Listen to it once @ the ESV study bible.

-Read the entire section in 3 or 4 translations

-Identify the paragraphs and label each with one or two words.

-Think on each paragraph and write down any questions I would need or like to have answered for that paragraph or the section as a whole.

PART II-OBSERVATION

Find and draw out the following considerations:

-Things emphasized

-Things repeated

-Things related

-Things alike-Comparison (word pictures, metaphors and similes-like, as etc.)

-Things unalike-Contrast (certain metaphors, but, irony etc.

-Things that are true to life

-Cause and effect

Draw out the following factual considerations:

-Author and intended audience

-Important People

-Important places

-Historical context

-Textual context

-Any other grammatical considerations(verb tense etc.)

-Important terms

PART III-GATHERING:

Gather any and all relevant Scriptural cross references using E Sword software word and phrase search.  (important terms in the verse(s), people, places etc. etc.)

Find, gather and write down definitions (literal and expository) on the above mentioned important terms using:

 

-The Complete Word Study Dictionary

-Vine’s Expository Dictionary

-Mounce’s Expository Dictionary

Find, gather and write down any information on the above mentioned factual considerations using:

-Holman Atlas

-Holman Bible Dictionary

-Chapter Introductions from the ESV Study Bible and the Life Application Study Bible

-Any literary thoughts from the ESV Literary Study Bible

-NET Study Notes

Gather any further relevant Scriptural Cross-References using the following:

-Nelson Cross Reference to the Bible

-Any further concordance (e sword software) searches that have come up during the process.

Using Esword, compare the section of Scripture in all other translations you have and record any thoughts or questions that may arise.

PART IV-ANSWERING AND SUMMARIZING:

-Using all the above data and good old fashioned prayer, answer my original questions the best that I am able!

PART V-BIBLICAL PRINCIPLES:

Answer the following questions to discern the main Biblical Principles stated in this paragraph.

-Given the original context, what does the text mean?

-What fundamental Universal truths are presented in this passage.

-State that truth in a simple sentence or two.

-What issues in our own culture and my own situation does this truth address?

-What are the implications when applied to my life and the world around me?  What changes does it require?  What values does it reinforce?  What difference does it make?

PART VI-APPLICATION:

Answer the following questions regarding the paragraph:

-Is there and example to follow?

-Is there a sin to avoid?

-Is there a promise to Claim?

-Is there a prayer to repeat?

-Is there a command to obey?

-Is there a condition to meet?

-Is there a verse to memorize?

-Is there an error to mark?

-Is there a challenge to face?

Summarize the answers and form into how YOU are being directed to apply this Scripture to your life!

PARTVII-COMPLETION:

-Reread the entire segment again in a few translations.  Are there any new questions??  Any new revelations or insights?  Record them and meditate on them.

-Consult the ESV Study Bible, Life Application Study Bible and Matthew Henry Commentary to compare what I have found.  Make notes!

-Write a BRIEF summary on the entire section in a form that could be considered a lesson.

In my next post I will discuss in some detail the resources I use for this method.  And after that I will begin posting my studies!

My first post, an introduction.

In a nutshell:

I was raised Catholic, and sort of knew Christ.  As a young adult I walked the other way.  I still prayed but I did not truly understand.  I did not really know what Jesus was about.  And my life choices and my shrunken and unhappy spirit were a testament to just how incorrect my thoughts and actions were at this time.

At the age of 28? God brought me to my knees.  And I fully accepted Jesus Christ as my Savior and Lord.  14 years later I am still learning what that means and how to walk better in that walk!  Thankfully God in His infinite kindness and mercy continues to correct me, teach me and hold me close.

I read the Bible (off and on) from the ages of 28 to 40.  Then God corrected me again and let me know there was more to His Word then just reading it. (in a Denver airport of all places..go figure?!?)

God made it clear to me that I (we), need to study God's Word and that we (I), need to immerse ourselves in His Word.  That was over two years ago.   And it has been an exciting two years.  I feel closer to Jesus and consequently the Father more than I ever before.  (all the while knowing there is so MUCH more to know and learn).  To put it bluntly, I feel blessed. (Matthew 5:2-5:12)


I pray differently, I live differently, I act differently.  I thank God for inviting me to study

After much thought, I have decided to post my own Bible Studies on the World Wide Web.

For some reason this was not an easy decision.  Who am I to post my Bible Studies?  I am not a theologian!  I am not a pastor.  I wanted to make sure I wasn't doing this out of any misguided conceit on my part.

But I do feel like God wants me to do this, and that is all I need to know.

The first few posts after this will be detailing my study methods, blog posting methods and some of the resources I am using.  And hopefully within the week I will begin posting the actual studies.  This blog will NOT entertain any sort of controversy over which is the best Bible translation.  

My first study will cover John 16:22-28.  I will probably jump around A LOT.

I admit to a bit of nervousness, but that is probably a good sign.

I look forward to conversing with all of you about God's Word and His never ending grace, mercy and love.