Well, I do invite you, if you have your Bibles, to turn to John chapter 15. We are continuing our study in the Gospel of John and come to a very unique section today of Jesus' teaching of our relationship with the world and in the world and how to think in the world, and we're going to read verses 18 to the end of the chapter. Let's give our attention this morning to the Lord's Word. If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own, but because you are not of the world. But I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. Remember the word that I said to you. A servant is not greater than his master. If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they kept my word, they will also keep yours. But all these things they will do to you on account of my name, because they do not know him who sent me. If I had not come and spoken to them, they would have not been guilty of sin. But now they have no excuse for their sin. Whoever hates me hates my father also. If I had not done among them the works that no one else did, they would not be guilty of sin, but now they have seen and hated both me and my father. But the word that is written in their law must be fulfilled. They hated me without a cause. But when the helper comes, whom I will send to you from the father, the spirit of truth who proceeds from the father, he will bear witness about me. And you also will bear witness because you have been with me from the beginning. And there ends the reading of God's Word. The text particularly we're focusing on today is 18 through 25. 18 through 25. This is a particularly fascinating section to study as we come in our study of John and are moving through this important section of Jesus properly preparing his disciples for his departure. A departure that would come through the excruciating death of the cross. They're about to witness things that are going to be really difficult to see. Of course, Jesus has been saying this the whole time. Jesus has been telling them that they're going to witness his death. He's going to suffer. He's going to die. And, of course, he mentioned this. And they did everything they could to suppress that or turn away from it or even rebuke Jesus, remember Peter tried. They didn't want to hear it. And now we come to a particularly helpful section of Jesus explaining to them how they are to go forward in his absence. We know that's what he's been doing the whole time. He's been addressing all the issues that need to be addressed. He's been addressing their failures. You will deny me three times. He's been addressing Judas using the vine and the branches allegory. He's been helping them with that. But now, particularly, he's helping them with their mission and place in the world. For if they don't understand what it's going to be like and what they have to endure and what they have to face, it's going to be massively confusing for them. And I would say that's a lot of what people are facing right now living in the United States. Christians are confused. They don't know how to process the times. Jesus taught about this everywhere. It's always the times we should note. we should always realize that the days are evil and that things are happening. But how do we think and how do we process and how do we live in a world that Jesus now begins to explain doesn't so accept us? And that's where we are this morning in John chapter 15. Why was Jesus so hated? It's an important question, isn't it, to explore a little bit in this particular passage. Why did they hate Jesus? Who hated Jesus? what was it about him that they despised so much? And then why does that transfer right to us? I'm convinced that this is one of the most important sections for understanding the Christian life. Also to encourage us that when we face the world's hatred, that such hatred, the basic point here today is that such hatred is actually a mark that we belong to him. But that's not so easy to accept. And we fight against that. So really what we're looking at today is the reality of hatred. The reason of hatred. And then the right way to be hated. I want to end with that note. Because I think that's important in our day. I think often times we're hated for all the wrong things. And should be at least hated for the right things. And if we're going to have to be hated, let's at least do it as we should do it. And the Lord wants us to do it. And that's what we'll consider here. But let's begin here just for a minute for the reality of hatred, which is something that we have to accept. That's one of the things that the scriptures are so helpful about is they're honest about reality of life, and they give us the truth as it is. And our difficulty is simply to accept and receive that truth. And that's what Jesus is simply doing here right up front, where he says in verse 18, if the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own. But because you're not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. That's really strong language if you think about it. The word in the Greek here is a very strong word. It's the strongest word, one of the strongest words chosen, that means absolute disgust, absolute rejection, absolute hostility to you. You can expect that, says Jesus. He's not presenting this, if you actually are being Christians, as something that might happen to you, which is an interesting point. This is not something in question, well, you might be hated by the world. He's actually saying, no, this is absolutely what will happen to you in your identification with me. He said at the end of 19 that this is a matter of fact. It's a categorical statement in a sense, isn't it? Because I've chosen you, therefore, this is now what you are, hated. So think of the connection. You know that the world has hated me, but since I chose you out of the world, that means you're no longer of the world, and since you are joined to me, the vine, you are utterly and totally hated by the world. It's a logical conclusion he's working with here. Now, this is this crucial moment where you have to stand back and say, well, why did they need to understand this? Why is this so important? Because Jesus had just explained many things to them, and when we face this great opposition, the great tendency on the part of the disciples, the great confusion on the part of the disciples would be, well, maybe we're doing something wrong. Why, if we're bringing a message of hope and a message of good news, would we be hated? Something's wrong with that. That shouldn't be. And Jesus here is explaining that for us. Christ came, and what did they do to him? What did the world do to him? The world crucified him. The world hated everything Jesus stood for. They hated his message, his person, the light. His light was a total affront to the darkness. Everywhere he went. They murdered him for what he stood for. And Jesus is helping us to understand that a proper relationship with him and a proper identification and union with him earns hatred from the world. Now, you see how important this is. You see how relevant and important this is for all times, especially for our time. If your idea of following Jesus does not fit the design of Christianity, if your idea of following Jesus does not fit for us what it means to be a Christian and what the consequences are of that, well, then you're in for mass disillusionment and fall when it comes. Remember, Jesus did this with the parable of the sower. A parable that was so necessary to understand all the mysteries of the kingdom was that crucial and central parable of the sower where he explained the relationship of people to him in the kingdom and to his word. And the crucial one that matters for us is that many people in the kingdom follow Jesus. Many people are around Jesus. Many people are tied to Jesus. all until this Christianity fails to pay a dividend. All until it costs them something. In other words, they never signed up for the hardship of it. Now think about that for a minute. They never signed up for the hardship of it. Here I sit with and stand and preach to a congregation very blessed and very comfortable. Our Christianity in America has been comfortable. Really, to be truth be told, we haven't had to stand up for too much. Jesus was constantly talking about this. In the parable of the sower, he said there's a kind of soil that has a false conception of what it means to follow him. He who received the seed on stony places, this is he who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy, yet he has no root in himself, but endures only for a while, for when tribulation or persecution arises because of the word, immediately he stumbles. So they face something in Christianity. As the tides of the culture change and as things happen, they face something in Christianity that results in the hatred from the world in some form of expression, and now it costs them something in Christianity and they're out. You think that's something we have to be warned about today? I do. That's what happened with Judas. Judas walked with Jesus a long time. And Jesus witnessed all the miracles. And everything was going gangbusters. He was riding on the coattails of this rising star in Israel. This guy could really bring in the kingdom and fix everything. All until Jesus started talking about death. Judas is stealing off the money purse, remember? and when Jesus said, I'm going to the cross, and he held out the vine, that was it. He snapped. He was done. This thing was not paying off for him, and the whole thing exposed that he didn't follow Jesus, and I think this is a good challenge for us. I think this is a good help for us in the American church. Why the church has probably struggled in America is because it's largely been ineffective at times, is it's not accepted this basic truth. This is an accepting of a basic truth of who we are. Instead of being worried, when everyone is so worried today, it's really amazing in the time to minister in America. It's a difficult time to minister in these days. Everyone's so worried about sounding arrogant. Everyone's so worried about being offensive. Everyone's so worried that we will turn people off. Everyone's so worried that we will drive out some youth who's living in sin if we're too difficult, too strong. We're incessantly worried about offending. It's been a battle. But I've had very few show the same zeal for offending God. Refusing to accept who he made us to be. This is what Paul said. Do I seek to please men or God in the ministry? No one seems to worry about that today. But John picks this up. And John says, Do you not know that friendship with the world is hatred of God? You see, it's important. Do we really expect to be treated well? I'm surprised there hasn't been more legislation against Christians sooner. We've had the best laws and the best tax-exempt status, and God has been merciful to let us comfortably worship and to not really ever have a knife put threatened to us as in many cultures and in many nations that has happened in this world. That's not the norm. It's not the norm. If you don't believe that, ask the persecuted countries of this world of Christians who have to suffer for their faith. And I think that's why Jesus gives this statement in verse 1 of chapter 16. These things I've spoken to you. Look at the first verse of chapter 16. These things I've spoken to you to keep you from falling away. See how important this is? If you don't understand this, this is going to be massively confusing for people. Discouraging. Look at the fallouts of people today. Look at the fallouts of people because their guy didn't get in an election. This is what we're living. John 16.1 is so important for this. These things I've said to you to keep you from falling away. That's the parable of the sower. I'm saying this to you to provide a corrective for you so that you're not confused about all of this and you understand that there is a categorical distinction that makes you a certain way in your relationship with the world and with me. And that's so important for us. I think it's one thing if the things that happen that come down the pike and the things that happen that come down to us and hit us are absolutely catching us off guard and that can uproot life. There's no doubt that can be shocking when you have no idea what to expect. But then if you have Jesus and you're listening to him here, say, listen, you've lived really comfortably in the world and at times you're going to get that. That's in God's providence. But the general rule is you're going to be hated in this world. Then you can handle this. You can learn to know how to think through this. But I love what he says in the midst of this. I'm saying this, verse 11, that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. That seems to be counterintuitive, but it's absolutely true. This is what the apostles, when they did ministry and they demonstrated ministry and they went out into the world in the midst of all this opposition and all this struggle and all this stuff, when they went out there, when they were handed blows, when they were handed persecution, you get statements like this in Acts. Then they left the presence of the council rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer dishonor for his name. You see, it's how they thought. I would, God, would Jesus would actually consider me worthy to suffer dishonor this way? Praise him. That's not how we think. Oh my, can you believe what's happening? You see the contrast of response when you don't understand this. And everyone's panicked and everyone's scared because they don't understand this. You belong to me, says Jesus. if you belong to the world, the world would love you. You could be the rapper Eminem and make your billions. They'll love you. Say the most perverse things you ever want to say. Do the most perverse things you ever want to do. Put up the most vile people you can at a presidential election. The world will love you. But you belong to me. This is really exciting, actually. You belong to me. The world is a system. It has its own system, its own values, its own idolatry. All of that is set in opposition to who you are. I think we have a basic understanding of this. But here's one of the problems this morning of this text too. There's another dimension to this. Jesus says, I've chosen you out of the world, conclusion, therefore the world hates you. And then he goes on to explain the hatred of the world for him. And now he sees explaining the reason here. But notice here, they persecuted me. If they persecuted me, they will persecute you. He goes on, if they keep my word, they will keep yours. But verse 24 says, they hated him and his father. Then verse 25, all of this happened that it might be fulfilled in their law. And then he quotes a psalm. They hated me without a cause. Here was the question I was stuck a little bit on this week. Who's the world here? What dawned on me? What was shocking to me is he wasn't looking at the Romans. He was looking inside. The Romans didn't hear these words. The Greeks didn't persecute him. Sure, the world persecutes the church. Sure, the world persecutes the church. But here Jesus includes a subset of the world that the greatest enemy to the true church, the greatest enemy to the true people of God, comes from the inside. That's Acts 20. This is what Paul was always saying. You know that after I leave, savage wolves will come up from among you. In fact, if you read verse 21, all these things they will do to you for my name's sake because they don't know him who sent me. This is what he's been saying about the Jews the whole time. What a tragedy. Not the religious people of his day did not know him. Listen, if you were to go through church history, and this would be an interesting study, to look at the most grievous persecutions and the most difficult struggle of the church, it was by the hands of who? The church itself. Religious people. Who were Christ's persecutors? Well, he said, Woe to you, for you build the tombs of the prophets whom your fathers killed. Martin Lloyd-Jones, I think, was absolutely correct that formal Christianity is often the greatest pure enemy of the faith. But there's something we have to, I think, be aware of here. The greatest battle coming from the inside is when people who don't know God adopt all the positions of the world and then try to Christianize them. The greatest enemy is of those who don't know God, who are on the inside, who adopt all the positions of the world that put you in conformity with the world and love of the world, and then make that Christian. That's our challenge today. That's going to be your greatest challenge. in the future. It's a pharisaical elitism that stands in judgment now against basic biblical morality that is our greatest threat. The worst anger comes from them. The greatest anger will be shown in attempting to silence those who do not accept the prevailing narrative of the world that has joined with the church. Christianity, a Christianity where everything is tolerated under the son and no more grieving of the sins of Sodom. We'll be greatly disliked. And I think this is where Jesus turns next. Remember in verse 20, the word I said to you, a servant is not greater than his master. If they persecuted me, they will persecute you. If they kept my word, they will keep yours also. Remember the word I said, a servant is not greater than his master. What got Jesus persecuted? Just for a minute. Explore that with me just for a minute. What got Jesus persecuted? Was he arrogant? Was he harsh? Was it pacifism? Why was Jesus hated? Not to fulfill the scriptures, but there are reasons given here. Remember in John 7? Go show yourself in the feast. Remember what Jesus said? The world cannot hate you, but it hates me. And what he's saying there is it can't hate you with your present stance on things. But it hates me. Why? Because I testify that its works are evil. That's why the world hates me. Because I'm honest about their works. I'm honest about what they're doing. He would give the law, and he would show what people were doing, and then he would call people to faith. To him, to believe. Imagine that today. He would say, listen, your sin is evil. Think of John the Baptist in our culture of marriage telling, you know, a leader that he had taken his brother's wife that was unlawful and getting his head put on a platter, you have to repent of your sins and these things are wrong and you have to believe to be saved. You know today that's hate speech, right? That is hate speech. But in God's kingdom. It was love. Jesus always had a name. He always had a name of helping people to see they need a righteousness outside of themselves if they're going to be saved. And Jesus says that in verse 22, if I had not come and spoken to them, they would have no sin. Did you see that? But now they have no excuse for their sin. He who hates me hates my father also. If he had not done among them the works which no one else did, they would have no sin. But now they have seen and have hated both me and my father. I think that was an encouragement to the disciples. One of your purposes in this world is simply to speak the truth. The truth of what the law says and exposes and the truth of the gospel. And when you do that, that's part of fulfilling. That's part of fulfilling your mission here. And they have no excuse at that point. You remember Rosaria Butterfield said in the conference, I don't know that I would have ever been able to repent of my lesbian lifestyle in the church today, because I don't think anyone would have called me out. Remember that? I don't know how I would have done today. I don't think I would have done well. He's telling and encouraging the disciples to be about the mission because when we are faithful in speaking the truth, it results in salvation. That's the truth of the matter. You think the church that is most accepted and popular to the world, you think that's a red flag? If anything, the church that never exposes the darkness of sin, never does discipline, and does all the easy stuff, you'll be loved. You'll be loved. Jesus had a message for compromisers. You know what it was? Woe to you when all men speak well of you, for so did their fathers to the false prophets. If I have to evaluate my ministry as a pastor, I hope not everyone speaks well of me. You understand that? I don't want it. If there's people out there who don't like me, go ahead. Say whatever you want because that's what Jesus says. That's a result of doing your job. Of course, we don't think like that. I want to be liked. Yes, I do. I want people to like me. It goes for you too. If everyone in the community thinks you're just a great, good-around-all guy, good-around guy, easy to get along with, and it's peace at all costs, and you never tell anyone anything's wrong, and trust me, you're going to have opportunities in your life. Not a biblical Christian. If you're not hated by the world, something's wrong. Remember, I'm talking first and foremost about those in the most accepted positions on things that have been compromised often in the religious community. It's our biggest challenge. That means that that which is most popular today in the religious community, that which appeals the most, most likely that's right out of the world. That's what Jesus is saying. I want to say also that it's crucial here that it will earn you hatred, but not because you should be saying anything angrily. If you have a son or daughter living in sin, I know the pressure. People living in sin shut you down and they don't like to be told anything. And then we feel boxed in and just to sort of maintain some kind of relationship, hopefully they will, you know, they'll stay around if I don't say anything and maybe the door would be opened. I know that's how we think. I know that's how I think. But the greatest thing of love you can do for someone who's in sin is not to accept it. but to lovingly go to them. This is part of your witness. This is part of your responsibility as a Christian to go to them and say, I love you. I'm just as much as a mess as you. The Lord has saved me. I've done a lot of bad things in life, but I want you to know this. I love you. And that path that you were raised in, it's not right. Now, how do you know whether you will save that person? but it's not love to shut up. Jesus didn't. You'll notice Jesus cites the psalm here. All of this is fulfilled that they hate me without a cause. Now I want one last point here before we close today. This is a really important point. I felt like that we have to say there are many things that Christians think they're suffering for the cause of Christ that has resulted in the hatred of people that is not Christianity. there are many people who have made themselves obnoxious in the kingdom there are many people who have done brought all sorts of suffering on themselves because they're simply difficult people you ever met any of those jesus spoke about the blessedness of being persecuted but that's not a license to go out and behave like a fool and be a jerk. That's not what got Jesus persecuted. It's not blessed is the last man standing for his cause. Blessed are you when you're persecuted for what? Righteousness sake. You ever met somebody who is holy and godly and convicted and full of love, there is something about them that just naturally offends people. There's something about their presence. There's something about their piety even that naturally drives people away. And I think this is a really important point that people, these people that we're talking about that often think they're suffering persecution and the problems in the world are simply because they become nuisances in the Christian world. I watched a group publicly, staged, taking off masks. Who would ever thought the devil would divide the church over masks? Isn't it something? I watched a group of people online, staged, taking off masks, and all of them collectively going into a local business, all about the freedom of their religion. And that business lost thousands and thousands of dollars because they had to shut down that day, and it was the Christians doing it. The fruits were nothing but fighting, division, arguments, contentions, hatreds, jealousies, outbursts of wrath. That was all the fruit of the fanaticism. It was fanaticism. It's not what Jesus is talking about. In fact, the scriptures warn against this, but let none of you suffer, let none of you suffer persecution as a murderer or a thief or an evildoer or as a busybody in other people's matters. Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let them not be ashamed, but let them glorify God in this matter. There is a distinctive suffering as a Christian that doesn't accompany those things. Here's the danger. You as Christians could suffer a lot of things in this life from murdering in your heart. Anger could be eating you alive. You could suffer because you're stealing. You could suffer because you're doing evil. You could suffer because you're simply a gossip and a busy body in other people's matters, and the whole thing is blown up on you. Well, lo and behold. And strangely, people think that through their disobedience, they're maintaining the cause of Christ. That's not suffering for Jesus. We come back to the basic question today. What is it about the Christian that is so hated? Blessed are you when you're persecuted for righteousness sake. Jesus, in this section, and especially back in chapter 13, said something. There's one mark by which everyone will know that we're his disciples. By your love for one another. What did he do? That ultimately got him put on the court. Greater love has no one than this. And that someone lay down his life for his friends. Let them hate us. For speaking the truth. In love. And let them hate us. Because they see that we love them. That's the consequence of following. The entity is already set. Through love. Because the world doesn't know this. Look at the world. It doesn't know this. It doesn't know this. Love one another, says Jesus. Love one another. How do I most love one another? You love by telling the truth and by sacrificially loving your neighbor. And then you're going to be hated for all the right reasons. You won't have to figure it out. But you see, then we most look like Jesus. And that's what he's calling us to accept today. That's what he's calling us to accept today. For that love drove him all to the way to the cross for you. Hatred of the world, pinning him so that you would be released and look like him. That's the reason he left us. What an important passage, isn't it? What an important passage for our purpose. What an important passage for our life. What an important passage to understand why Jesus left here that we might live for his glory. Don't be surprised at the things happening in the world. I mean, he's there. He can't stop it. The question is how we are responding to the gospel of Jesus and then living out the life of love that he calls us to in gratitude. Let's thank him together in prayer. Heavenly Father, thank you, O Lord, For your word today, and thank you for guiding us and helping us to understand the enmity that's already set there since we've been redeemed, that categorically we are hated. But ultimately we know, as Jesus said, that that hatred is ultimately aimed against him. And what a wrong one to hate. The Lord comes back in all of his glory. when you return, O Lord, what a day that will be to vindicate and to deliver and to show your righteous cause among those who love you. Give us, Lord, this perspective and help us to lead lives that demonstrate what you want us to be. And let us accept who you've made us to be, bought and purchased with the precious blood of Jesus. Therefore, we no longer belong to the world. In Jesus' name we pray, amen.