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Today we are in John 16:16-33.
This being the night before Jesus was crucified, Jesus was giving a final warning, and final encouragement to his disciples before it all unfolded.
The disciples were perplexed at some of what Jesus was sharing. They were, I am sure, worried or concerned at what Jesus was saying. Things like, “the world will hate you” would certainly not bring joy. Rather, it brings fear and sorrow.
Yet, in the midst of that message, Jesus also was providing words of comfort, like what we already looked at:
“I am going to prepare a place for you.”
“I will return that you can be with me where I am.”
And, “I will send you another Advocate, The Spirit of Truth.”
In today’s passage, we will see Jesus telling his disciples they will have joy.
Joy. There is a lot in this world to bring us down. There is a lot going on that can and will bring sorrow into our lives.
Jesus knew that the next 72 hours would be particularly difficult for his disciples. He knew they would face sorrow that they did not understand. Yet, he spoke of their coming joy, and how they could keep that coming joy.
Let’s read it together.
Jesus went on to say, “In a little while you will see me no more, and then after a little while you will see me.”
At this, some of his disciples said to one another, “What does he mean by saying, ‘In a little while you will see me no more, and then after a little while you will see me,’ and ‘Because I am going to the Father’?”
They kept asking, “What does he mean by ‘a little while’? We don’t understand what he is saying.”
Jesus saw that they wanted to ask him about this, so he said to them, “Are you asking one another what I meant when I said, ‘In a little while you will see me no more, and then after a little while you will see me’?
Very truly I tell you, you will weep and mourn while the world rejoices. You will grieve, but your grief will turn to joy.
A woman giving birth to a child has pain because her time has come; but when her baby is born she forgets the anguish because of her joy that a child is born into the world.
So with you: Now is your time of grief, but I will see you again and you will rejoice, and no one will take away your joy.
In that day you will no longer ask me anything. 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.
Sorrow overcome by joy
Sorrow overcome by joy
Jesus warned his disciples about the sorrow they were about to face. You won’t see me. They were going to lose him.
Anyone who has lost a loved one knows what this sorrow is like. You miss their mannerisms. You miss the jingling of the keys. You miss their little sayings. You miss hearing their voice. You miss their presence. You miss their laughter. You miss their smile. You miss everything about them.
Jesus knew the sorrow they would have, and warned them. But he also spoke of their sorrow turning to joy. “After a little while you will see me.”
Can you imagine the sorrow the disciples felt when Jesus was crucified? Can you imagine the joy that they felt when he was alive? How about when he appeared to them? In just a few weeks we will celebrate Easter. Why do we celebrate Easter each year?
Because Easter brings joy! Easter is the celebration of Christ’s resurrection. His resurrection changed everything!
Joy from the resurrection
Joy from the resurrection
Jesus conquered sin and death! There is no more fear of death for those who are believers! We know that even if we die in this world, we will live with Him for eternity! We have a new body to look forward to! No more sin, no more sickness, no more sorrow!
The joy of the resurrection overcomes the sorrows of this world!
Jesus used the illustration of a woman giving birth.
A woman giving birth to a child has pain because her time has come; but when her baby is born she forgets the anguish because of her joy that a child is born into the world.
I love what Jesus says after this:
So with you: Now is your time of grief, but I will see you again and you will rejoice, and no one will take away your joy.
There is nothing that can take away the joy of the resurrection! Jesus conquered all that is against us. Jesus conquered the one thing that brings this world to its knees, death!
Nothing can take away that joy.
But, we do still have things that want to rob us of joy, don’t we.
The here and now. Yes, we have hope and future. But the troubles of this world want to crowd out, and push to the background the joy we have, the blessing and hope of the resurrection. It cannot take it away, but it does try to push it down.
What do we do about the troubles of this world, like the world hating us as Jesus foretold?
Jesus goes on to say this to the disciples...
In that day you will no longer ask me anything. 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.
Joy from the Father
Joy from the Father
Even though we will go through trials in this world, including the persecution that Jesus spoke of in the beginning of this chapter, we can still have joy in the midst of trials. This joy comes by our relationship with the Father!
When we believe in Jesus, we have the joy of being adopted by God the Father! We are his children. We belong to Him, and have a new, loving relationship with him!
Jeremiah spoke of this joy that comes from relationshp when he prophesied of the new covenant in Jeremiah 30-31. After all of the doom and gloom that Jeremiah prophesied as the punishment for Judah’s rebellion, he spoke of the day when the punishment would end, and the people would be restored. He spoke of great rejoicing, and the reason for all of this is,
“ ‘So you will be my people, and I will be your God.’ ”
Our new relationship with the Father is a relationship that brings great joy! He is for us! Who can be against us?
Or, as Paul declared in Romans 8,
For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God.
The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.”
The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children.
Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.
And, later in that chapter,
What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?
He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?
Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies.
Who then is the one who condemns? No one. Christ Jesus who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us.
Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?
As it is written: “For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.”
No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.
For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers,
neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Our new relationship with the Father is one that brings joy, even in the midst of trials.
Nothing can separate us. We know that he loves and cares for us, no matter what is going on in this life!
His is a love that will never let us go!
And just like a child can run into their father’s arms for love and protection, so too, we can always run into our Father’s arms! We can always go to him, and tell him of our troubles.
That is what Jesus tells us to do.
We are to ask the Father, so that our joy may be complete.
In that day you will no longer ask me anything. 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.
And we ask the Father directly, because of our new relationship with him.
In that day you will ask in my name. I am not saying that I will ask the Father on your behalf.
No, the Father himself loves you because you have loved me and have believed that I came from God.
The Father loves us, and wants to give us those things for which we ask! We come to him as a child goes to their loving Father!
So, does this mean that we can ask for anything and receive it?
Contrary to what some preachers may say, no. There is a clause that is all important.
Asking in Jesus’ name
Asking in Jesus’ name
Whatever we ask in Jesus’ name we will receive.
What does it mean to ask in Jesus’ name? Is that just tacking on the phrase, “In Jesus name, amen?”
Let’s look at a prayer we find in the book of Acts.
When they heard this, they raised their voices together in prayer to God. “Sovereign Lord,” they said, “you made the heavens and the earth and the sea, and everything in them.
You spoke by the Holy Spirit through the mouth of your servant, our father David: “ ‘Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain?
The kings of the earth rise up and the rulers band together against the Lord and against his anointed one.’
Indeed Herod and Pontius Pilate met together with the Gentiles and the people of Israel in this city to conspire against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed.
They did what your power and will had decided beforehand should happen.
Now, Lord, consider their threats and enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness.
Stretch out your hand to heal and perform signs and wonders through the name of your holy servant Jesus.”
After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly.
Asking in Jesus’ Name is not a magical phrase
Asking in Jesus’ Name is not a magical phrase
Did they use that phrase, “In Jesus Name?” No. Yet God answered their prayer.
They prayed in Jesus name, but they did not use the phrase. So what does it mean to pray in Jesus name?
Asking in Jesus’ Name is asking according to His will
Asking in Jesus’ Name is asking according to His will
Praying in Jesus Name: Coming to the Father based on the merit and authority of Jesus, asking for things that line up with Jesus’ desires.
Praying in Jesus’ Name is praying for what we need to accomplish His will.
Prayer is truly seeking the Lord’s will in our lives, and seeking His heart and power to do what He has called us to do.
Sometimes we struggle with how to pray, but that is why the Spirit of Truth, our advocate helps us.
In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans.
And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God.
Notice that the prayers are in accordance with the will of God.
We need to remember that our prayers are to seek His kingdom and His glory, not our own.
This is praying in Jesus’ name.
If we are seeking His kingdom and glory, and praying that we might have what we need to see this come about, we will receive it, and our joy will be complete!
This is what the disciples experienced in the time of the book of Acts.
What are some of the things we see in the scriptures for which we should pray?
Asking for what in Jesus’ name?
Asking for what in Jesus’ name?
The apostles prayed for boldness and for the spread of the gospel.
Paul often prayed for the believers to gow in the grace and knowledge of the Lord and His grace.
There are prayers for growing in the Love of the Lord.
There are prayers for those who are sick.
There are prayers of confession.
There are prayers for the saints who are imprisoned, like Peter was.
We are told to not be anxious, but by prayer and petition to make our request to the Lord, who will guard our hearts and minds.
We are told to pray for governing leaders that we might live in peace.
In all of these things, we are praying in Jesus’ name. These are the things that He desires. He desires for us to know peace, comfort, unity, and joy in this world, in the midst of the trials of this life. So, we pray in accordance with His desires and will. When we do, we will receive that for which we pray, and we will know joy.
There are other types of prayers and statements in the scripture which we need to address as well. Passages like, Acts 13:10-11, and Acts 23:3.
“You are a child of the devil and an enemy of everything that is right! You are full of all kinds of deceit and trickery. Will you never stop perverting the right ways of the Lord?
Now the hand of the Lord is against you. You are going to be blind for a time, not even able to see the light of the sun.” Immediately mist and darkness came over him, and he groped about, seeking someone to lead him by the hand.
This, and other passages like it in the New Testament are not prayers, so much as pronouncements. They seem really harsh. What place do they have in the scriptures and in our lives and prayers?
Asking in Jesus’ Name: Imprecatory Prayers?
Asking in Jesus’ Name: Imprecatory Prayers?
This brings up the concept of imprecatory psalms or prayers. Imprecatory means that what is being expressed is a desire for the Lord to act in judgement upon someone. It is like a curse.
A few weeks ago, I was asked about these kinds of prayers. I want to share the question, because it was well written, and had a lot of good thought behind it.
I have been reading through the Old Testament again and have been struggling with the imprecatory (judgement or cursing) prayers of the Old Testament. They are numerous in the Psalms such as Psalm 109 to name one and in Jeremiah 20 prayer and many other passages. How are we to view these prayers in light of Jesus commanding us to love our enemies?
I know that the prayers rely on God to bring judgement, however there doesn't seem to be a desire for reconciliation to God for their enemy, just judgment.
In contrast, I also know Jonah's response when God relented on judging Nineveh when they repented. It was in Jonah's heart that they be destroyed and he was mad when God showed mercy. This wasn't pleasing to God.
So, I know that all Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. 2 Timothy: 3 16-17.
My question is, how should we view these Old Testament prayers and how should we apply them to our understanding of God and how we should pray in light of loving our enemies?
This is a great question. When we ask in Jesus’ name, should we be asking for the Lord to pour out his judgement upon our enemies? Then, when they get their just desserts, we can rejoice in their suffering?
How does that line up with what Jesus said,
But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,
Some have said that those in the Old Testament just didn’t have this clear teaching of Jesus.
However, they did.
“ ‘Do not hate a fellow Israelite in your heart. Rebuke your neighbor frankly so you will not share in their guilt.
“ ‘Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against anyone among your people, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the Lord.
And, as Jesus taught, the neighbor could be someone who is considered an enemy, like the Samaritans to the Jews.
The concept of loving others is prevalent in the Old Testament.
So, where do these imprecatory Psalms and prayers fit?
The basis for imprecatory Psalms and Prayers
The basis for imprecatory Psalms and Prayers
Majority are pronouncements of God’s justice. A few are direct prayers asking for God to carry out judgment.
Made by David, Asaph and Jeremiah.
David - God’s king, God’s instrument of carrying out justice
Asaph - God’s priest of worship, desiring people to worship the Lord of justice
Jeremiah - God’s prophet of judgment, declaring what God had determined in his justice.
Purrpose: Justice not revenge, Paise of the Lord, Know God judges, Show God is sovereign, Cause even the wicked to know the Lord.
What about us?
Scriptures reveal the Lord, and men’s hearts.
Example of Jonah, we struggle with mercy.
Basis for our prayers:
Basis for our prayers:
God loves Justice, and so must we
God loves Justice, and so must we
God hates sin, and so should we
God hates sin, and so should we
For you are not a God who is pleased with wickedness; with you, evil people are not welcome.
The arrogant cannot stand in your presence. You hate all who do wrong;
Do I not hate those who hate you, Lord, and abhor those who are in rebellion against you?
God pronounced judgment, we declare his judgment
God pronounced judgment, we declare his judgment
For he has set a day when he will judge the world with justice by the man he has appointed. He has given proof of this to everyone by raising him from the dead.”
For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each of us may receive what is due us for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad.
Since, then, we know what it is to fear the Lord, we try to persuade others. What we are is plain to God, and I hope it is also plain to your conscience.
God loves the sinner, and so shold we
God loves the sinner, and so shold we
Do I take any pleasure in the death of the wicked? declares the Sovereign Lord. Rather, am I not pleased when they turn from their ways and live?
But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
God desires that the lost be saved, and so should we
God desires that the lost be saved, and so should we
that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation.
We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God.
God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
God will avenge, and so we wait for Him
God will avenge, and so we wait for Him
It is mine to avenge; I will repay. In due time their foot will slip; their day of disaster is near and their doom rushes upon them.”
Revelation
The goal of declaring God’s judgment: God’s glory
The goal of declaring God’s judgment: God’s glory
The righteous will rejoice in the Lord.
I will give thanks to the Lord because of his righteousness; I will sing the praises of the name of the Lord Most High.
The wicked will learn that the LORD is God.
Cover their faces with shame, Lord, so that they will seek your name.
May they ever be ashamed and dismayed; may they perish in disgrace.
Let them know that you, whose name is the Lord— that you alone are the Most High over all the earth.
Desire for them to know He is the Lord.
Imprecatory Psalms and prayers flow out of growing to be more like God.
We want justice.
We want the Lord to reign.
We want sin to stop.
We want suffering to stop.
We know it is the Lord alone who avenges.
We want Him to be praised for his righteousness.
We want everyone to know that He is God.
We declare His judgements
We declare His righteousness.
We declare His love, mercy and salvation.
We declare His praise!