1 John 3:22
and we will receive from Him whatever we ask, because we keep His commandments and do what is pleasing in His sight.
and we will receive from Him
This phrase emphasizes the assurance and confidence believers have in their relationship with God. The Greek word for "receive" is "lambanó," which implies an active taking or receiving. It suggests that the blessings and answers to prayers are not just passively given but are actively received by believers who are in communion with God. This reflects the intimate relationship between God and His children, where there is a mutual exchange of love and trust.

whatever we ask
The phrase "whatever we ask" underscores the breadth and depth of God's willingness to respond to the prayers of His people. The Greek word "aiteó" for "ask" conveys a sense of earnestness and humility in the request. It is not a demand but a petition made in faith. This reflects the biblical principle that God is a generous Father who delights in giving good gifts to His children, as seen in Matthew 7:11. However, this promise is not a blank check for selfish desires but is contingent upon the alignment of our requests with God's will.

because we keep His commandments
The word "keep" is translated from the Greek "téreó," which means to guard or observe. It implies a continuous, diligent effort to live according to God's laws. This phrase highlights the importance of obedience in the life of a believer. Keeping God's commandments is not about legalistic adherence but about a heartfelt commitment to live in a way that honors God. It reflects the transformative power of God's love in our lives, enabling us to live righteously.

and do what is pleasing in His sight
The phrase "do what is pleasing" is rooted in the Greek word "poiéō," which means to make or do. It suggests an active pursuit of actions that are acceptable and delightful to God. The concept of being "pleasing in His sight" is reminiscent of the Old Testament sacrifices that were a "pleasing aroma" to the Lord (Leviticus 1:9). It indicates that our lives, when lived in obedience and love, are a form of worship to God. This phrase calls believers to live with the awareness that their actions are observed by God and should reflect His holiness and love.

Persons / Places / Events
1. John the Apostle
The author of 1 John, one of Jesus' closest disciples, known for his emphasis on love and obedience in his writings.

2. Early Christian Community
The recipients of the letter, likely facing challenges in maintaining faith and love amidst false teachings.

3. God
The one from whom believers receive what they ask, emphasizing His role as a loving Father who responds to His children.

4. Commandments
Refers to the teachings and instructions given by God, particularly those emphasized by Jesus, such as love for God and neighbor.

5. Prayer
The act of asking and receiving from God, central to the believer's relationship with Him.
Teaching Points
Obedience and Prayer
Our prayers are effective when they are coupled with a life of obedience to God's commandments. This obedience is not about legalism but about a loving response to God's grace.

Pleasing God
To do what is pleasing in God's sight involves aligning our desires and actions with His will. This requires a heart transformed by the Holy Spirit, seeking to honor God in all things.

Confidence in Prayer
Believers can have confidence in their prayers when they are rooted in a relationship with God characterized by love and obedience. This confidence is not presumptuous but is based on God's promises.

Motives Matter
The effectiveness of our prayers is linked to the purity of our motives. We must examine our hearts to ensure our requests align with God's purposes and not merely our own desires.

Relationship with God
The promise of receiving what we ask is deeply connected to our relationship with God. As we grow in intimacy with Him, our prayers naturally align with His will.
Bible Study Questions
1. How does the promise in 1 John 3:22 encourage you in your prayer life, and what steps can you take to ensure your prayers align with God's will?

2. In what ways can you actively "do what is pleasing in His sight" in your daily life, and how might this impact your relationship with God?

3. Reflect on a time when you felt your prayers were answered. How did obedience to God's commandments play a role in that experience?

4. How can you discern whether your motives in prayer are aligned with God's purposes, and what scriptures can guide you in this process?

5. Consider the connection between love and obedience in 1 John. How does this relationship influence your understanding of effective prayer?
Connections to Other Scriptures
John 14:13-14
Jesus promises that whatever is asked in His name will be done, highlighting the power of prayer and obedience.

James 4:3
Discusses the importance of asking with the right motives, aligning with the idea of doing what is pleasing in God's sight.

Psalm 37:4
Encourages delighting in the Lord, which aligns with receiving the desires of one's heart, similar to the promise in 1 John 3:22.

Matthew 7:7-11
Jesus teaches about asking, seeking, and knocking, emphasizing God's willingness to give good gifts to His children.

1 John 5:14-15
Reinforces the confidence believers have in approaching God, knowing He hears us when we ask according to His will.
The Sign of Brotherly LoveR. Finlayson 1 John 3:13-24
A Further Account of the Nature and Measure of ConscienceR. South, D. D.1 John 3:19-22
A Good Life the Surest Title to a Good ConscienceD. Waterland, D. D.1 John 3:19-22
All Things Known to GodR. South, D. D.1 John 3:19-22
An Account of the Nature and Measures of ConscienceR. South, D. D.1 John 3:19-22
An Approving Heart -- Confidence in PrayerC. G. Finney.1 John 3:19-22
Conscience and God as JudgesJ. M. Ludlow.1 John 3:19-22
Conscience Condemning or AcquittingC. Peters. M. A.1 John 3:19-22
Hearts of Sinners Known to GodN. Emmons, D. D.1 John 3:19-22
HeartseaseJ. M. Gibbon.1 John 3:19-22
Reason the Judge of Religions ActionsS. Clarke, D. D.1 John 3:19-22
Self-Acquittal, and the Confidence it ProducesEssex Remembrancer1 John 3:19-22
Self-CondemnationEssex Remembrancer1 John 3:19-22
Self-CondemnationW. Whitfield.1 John 3:19-22
The Connection Between Faith and the State of the HeartA. L. R. Foote, D. D.1 John 3:19-22
The Judicial Function of ConscienceW. Jones 1 John 3:19-22
The Lower CourtsC. H. Spurgeon.1 John 3:19-22
The Nature and Advantages of a Good ConscienceT. Natt, B. D.1 John 3:19-22
TruthBp. Temple.1 John 3:19-22
What is the VerdictC. H. Spurgeon.1 John 3:19-22
Answers to PrayerJ. Vaughan, M. A.1 John 3:22-24
Faith a WorkJ. M. Gibbon.1 John 3:22-24
God's One CommandmentM. F. Sadler, M. A.1 John 3:22-24
On the Importance of Faith in Christ and Love to ChristiansEssex Remembrancer1 John 3:22-24
Righteousness Essential to Our Pleasing God and to His Hearing UsR. S. Candlish, D. D.1 John 3:22-24
The Conditions of Power in PrayerC. H. Spurgeon.1 John 3:22-24
The Warrant of FaithC. H. Spurgeon.1 John 3:22-24
People
Cain, John
Places
Ephesus
Topics
Anything, Commandments, Commands, Gives, Laws, Obey, Obtain, Pleases, Pleasing, Practise, Receive, Requests, Sight, Whatever, Whatsoever
Dictionary of Bible Themes
1 John 3:22

     8115   discipleship, nature of
     8245   ethics, incentives
     8607   prayer, God's promises
     8617   prayer, effective

1 John 3:19-22

     4817   drought, spiritual

1 John 3:21-22

     5909   motives, importance
     8617   prayer, effective

1 John 3:21-24

     2425   gospel, requirements
     8405   commands, in NT

1 John 3:22-24

     8209   commitment, to Christ
     8453   obedience

Library
The Purifying Hope
Eversley, 1869. Windsor Castle, 1869. 1 John iii. 2. "Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure." Let us consider this noble text, and see something, at least, of what it has to tell us. It is, like all God's messages, all God's laws, ay, like God's world in which we live and breathe,
Charles Kingsley—All Saints' Day and Other Sermons

Second Sunday after Trinity Exhortation to Brotherly Love.
Text: 1 John 3, 13-18. 13 Marvel not, brethren, if the world hateth you. 14 We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brethren. He that loveth not abideth in death. 15 Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer: and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him. 16 Hereby know we love, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. 17 But whoso hath the world's goods, and beholdeth his brother in need, and shutteth
Martin Luther—Epistle Sermons, Vol. III

The Growth and Power of Sin
'And in process of time it came to pass, that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the Lord. And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock, and of the fat thereof. And the Lord had respect unto Abel, and to his offering: But unto Cain, and to his offering, he had not respect. And Cain was very wroth, and his countenance fell. And the Lord said unto Cain, Why art thou wroth? and why is thy countenance fallen? If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? and if thou
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

The Love that Calls us Sons
'Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God....'--1 John iii. 1. One or two points of an expository character will serve to introduce what else I have to say on these words. The text is, I suppose, generally understood as if it pointed to the fact that we are called the sons of God as the great exemplification of the wonderfulness of His love. That is a perfectly possible view of the connection and meaning of the text. But if we are to
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture Ephesians, Peter,John

The Unrevealed Future of the Sons of God
'Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when He shall appear, we shall be like Him; for we shall see Him as He is.'--1 John iii. 2. I have hesitated, as you may well believe, whether I should take these words for a text. They seem so far to surpass anything that can be said concerning them, and they cover such immense fields of dim thought, that one may well be afraid lest one should spoil them by even attempting to dilate on them. And
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture Ephesians, Peter,John

The Purifying Influence of Hope
'And every man that hath this hope in Him purifieth himself, even as He is pure.'--1 John iii. 3. That is a very remarkable 'and' with which this verse begins. The Apostle has just been touching the very heights of devout contemplation, soaring away up into dim regions where it is very hard to follow,--'We shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.' And now, without a pause, and linking his thoughts together by a simple 'and,' he passes from the unimaginable splendours of the Beatific Vision
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture Ephesians, Peter,John

Practical Righteousness
Little children, let no man deceive you; he that doeth righteousness is righteous, even as He is righteous.'--1 John iii. 7. The popular idea of the Apostle John is strangely unlike the real man. He is supposed to be the gentle Apostle of Love, the mystic amongst the Twelve. He is that, but he was the 'son of thunder' before he was the Apostle of Love, and he did not drop the first character when he attained the second. No doubt his central thought was, 'God is Love'; no doubt that thought had
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture Ephesians, Peter,John

The Meaning of Sin, and the Revelation of the True Self
"In this we have come to know what love is, because He laid down His life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren."--1 JOHN III. 16. It is important that we should arrive at some clearer understanding of the nature of sin. Let us approach the question from the side of the Divine Indwelling. The doctrine of the Divine Immanence, in things and in persons, that doctrine which we are to-day slowly recovering, is rescued from pantheism by holding fast at the same time to the Christian
J. H. Beibitz—Gloria Crucis

How to Fertilize Love
Love is the greatest thing in earth or heaven. Out of it flows most of the things that are worth while in life. Love of relatives, love of friends, and love of the brethren (1 John 3: 14) make life worth living. There is no heart so empty as the heart that is without love. There is no life so joyful as the love-filled life. Love puts a song in the heart, a sparkle in the eye, a smile on the lips, and makes the whole being glad. And God's love is greater than all else. He who has God's love has a
Charles Wesley Naylor—Heart Talks

Vanity of Human Glory.
"The world knoweth us not, because it knew Him not."--1 John iii. 1 Of St. Simon and St. Jude, the Saints whom we this day commemorate, little is known[1]. St. Jude, indeed, still lives in the Church in his Catholic epistle; but of his history we only know that he was brother to St. James the Less, and nearly related to our Lord and that, like St. Peter, he had been a married man. Besides his name of Jude or Judas, he is also called Thaddaeus and Lebbaeus in the Gospels. Of St. Simon we only
John Henry Newman—Parochial and Plain Sermons, Vol. VIII

The First Fruits of the Spirit
"There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit." Rom. 8:1 1. By "them which are in Christ Jesus," St. Paul evidently means, those who truly believe in him; those who, "being justified by faith, have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ." They who thus believe do no longer "walk after the flesh," no longer follow the motions of corrupt nature, but "after the Spirit"; both their thoughts, words, and works are under
John Wesley—Sermons on Several Occasions

The End of Christ's Coming
"For this purpose was the Son of God manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil." 1 John 3:8. 1. Many eminent writers, heathen as well as Christian, both in earlier and later ages, have employed their utmost labour and art in painting the beauty of virtue. And the same pains they have taken to describe, in the liveliest colours, the deformity of vice; both of vice in general, and of those particular vices which were most prevalent in their respective ages and countries. With equal care
John Wesley—Sermons on Several Occasions

The Great Privilege of those that are Born of God
"Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin." 1 John 3:9. 1. It has been frequently supposed, that the being born of God was all one with the being justified; that the new birth and justification were only different expressions, denoting the same thing: It being certain, on the one hand, that whoever is justified is also born of God; and, on the other, that whoever is born of God is also justified; yea, that both these gifts of God are given to every believer in one and the same moment. In one
John Wesley—Sermons on Several Occasions

The Beatific vision
"Millions of years my wondering eyes Shall o'er thy beauties rove; And endless ages I'll adore The glories of thy love." We are rejoiced to find such a verse as this, for it tells us that our curiosity shall be satisfied, our desire consummated, our bliss perfected. "WE SHALL SEE HIM AS HE IS." Heaven shall be ours, and all we ever dreamed of him shall be more than in our possession. By the help of God's mighty Spirit, who alone can put words in our mouths, let us speak first of all concerning the
Charles Haddon Spurgeon—Spurgeon's Sermons Volume 2: 1856

A Present Religion
It is astonishing how distance blunts the keen edge of anything that is disagreeable. War is at all times a most fearful scourge. The thought of slain bodies and of murdered men must always harrow up the soul; but because we hear of these things in the distance, there are few Englishmen who can truly enter into their horrors. If we should hear the booming of cannon on the deep which girdles this island; if we should see at our doors the marks of carnage and bloodshed; then should we more thoroughly
Charles Haddon Spurgeon—Spurgeon's Sermons Volume 4: 1858

The Death of Christ for his People
"He laid down his life for us."--1 John 3:16. COME, believer and contemplate this sublime truth, thus proclaimed to thee in simple monosyllables: "He laid down his life for us." There is not one long word in the sentence; it is all as simple as it can be; and it is simple because it is sublime. Sublimity in thought always needs simplicity in words to express itself. Little thoughts require great words to explain them; little preachers need Latin words to convey their feeble ideas, but great thoughts
Charles Haddon Spurgeon—Spurgeon's Sermons Volume 46: 1900

The Warrant of Faith
We sing, and sing rightly too-- "My soul, no more attempt to draw Thy life and comfort from the law," for from the law death cometh and not life, misery and not comfort. "To convince and to condemn is all the law can do." O, when will all professors, and especially all professed ministers of Christ, learn the difference between the law and the gospel? Most of them make a mingle-mangle, and serve out deadly potions to the people, often containing but one ounce of gospel to a pound of law, whereas,
Charles Haddon Spurgeon—Spurgeon's Sermons Volume 9: 1863

The Way of Life.
(Second Sunday after Trinity.) 1 JOHN iii. 14. "We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren." The writings of S. John the Evangelist breathe forth love as a flower garden does sweetness. Here lies the secret of S. John's title, "the disciple whom Jesus loved." Love begets love, and the disciple was so near to the heart of his Master because he loved much. When the text was written he was a very old man, and Bishop of Ephesus. It was in that fair and famous
H. J. Wilmot-Buxton—The Life of Duty, a Year's Plain Sermons, v. 2

"But Ye have Received the Spirit of Adoption, Whereby we Cry, Abba, Father. "
Rom. viii. 15.--"But ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father." "Behold what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God," 1 John iii. 1. It is a wonderful expression of love to advance his own creatures, not only infinitely below himself, but far below other creatures, to such a dignity. Lord, what is man that thou so magnified him! But it surpasseth wonder, that rebellious creatures, his enemies, should have, not only
Hugh Binning—The Works of the Rev. Hugh Binning

"Whereby we Cry, Abba, Father. "
Rom. viii. 15.--"Whereby we cry, Abba, Father." As there is a light of grace in bestowing such incomparably high dignities and excellent gifts on poor sinners, such as, to make them the sons of God who were the children of the devil, and heirs of a kingdom who were heirs of wrath; so there is a depth of wisdom in the Lord's allowance and manner of dispensing his love and grace in this life. For though the love be wonderful, that we should be called the sons of God; yet, as that apostle speaks,
Hugh Binning—The Works of the Rev. Hugh Binning

"And for Sin Condemned Sin in the Flesh. "
Rom. viii. 3.--"And for sin condemned sin in the flesh." The great and wonderful actions of great and excellent persons must needs have some great ends answerable to them. Wisdom will teach them not to do strange things, but for some rare purposes, for it were a folly and madness to do great things to compass some small and petty end, as unsuitable as that a mountain should travail to bring forth a mouse. Truly we must conceive, that it must needs be some honourable and high business, that brought
Hugh Binning—The Works of the Rev. Hugh Binning

What is Sanctification?
Scripturally, the word sanctification has three meanings: First, separation; second, dedication; third, spirit-filling. Webster's definition of it is as follows: "1. Sanctification is the act of God's grace by which the affections of man are purified, or alienated from sin and the world, and exalted to a supreme love of God; also, the state of being thus purified or sanctified. 2. The act of consecrating, or setting apart for a sacred purpose." "Sanctifier. One who sanctifies or makes holy; specifically,
J. W. Byers—Sanctification

The Sinner Arraigned and Convicted.
1. Conviction of guilt necessary.--2. A charge of rebellion against God advanced.--3. Where it is shown--that all men are born under God's law.--4. That no man hath perfectly kept it.--5. An appeal to the reader's conscience on this head, that he hath not.--6. That to have broken it, is an evil inexpressibly great.--7. Illustrated by a more particular view of the aggravations of this guilt, arising--from knowledge.--8. From divine favors received.--9. From convictions of conscience overborne.--10.
Philip Doddridge—The Rise and Progress of Religion in the Soul

The Solidarity of the Human Family
Every man has worth and sacredness as a man. We fixed on that as the simplest and most fundamental social principle of Jesus. The second question is, What relation do men bear to each other? DAILY READINGS First Day: The Social Impulse and the Law of Christ And one of them, a lawyer, asked him a question, trying him: Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law? And he said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is
Walter Rauschenbusch—The Social Principles of Jesus

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