A Study of the Book of John

“That You May Believe”

Sermon #42 

“Hated Without A Cause”

John 15:18-25, 16:1-4

       What can we expect as followers of Jesus Christ as we live our lives in this world? Some, because of the influence of the Prosperity Gospel, believe that if we are true believers we should have lives of ease and affluence. We should have everything we need and never have any difficulties or sick-ness or lack. But truth is that godly believers are not always healthy and certainly not wealthy.

As John Philips so plainly states, “When God seeks to attract someone to Christ, he does not hand out slick brochures offering houses and land, wealth and health, success and security in this world. He tells things as they are. The world hated Jesus and it will hate his people.”[John Philips. Exploring The Gospel of John. (Grand Rapids: Kregel, 1989) p.294]

       Sometimes believers suffer and are persecuted. And when life does not fit our neat little theological box, some toss faith aside or they deny reality.

       Yet Jesus never promises that life as a believer will be constant smooth sailing! In fact Jesus promised just the opposite. A problem free life is not necessarily a sign that God is pleased with our lives. The absence of persecution may actually indicate something is wrong.

       In many places in our world today to choose Christ is to choose death. David Barrett has estimated that in 2002 approx-imately 164,000 Christians will die as martyrs and that the average number of Christian martyrs each will grow to 210,000 by the year 2025. [David Barrett. “Annual Statistical Table on Global Missions: 2002.” International Bulletin of Missionary Research. 26 no. 1 (Jan 2002) p. 23]

            And while you may not see Christians killed very often in our country, there is a constant opposition to the cause of Christ. Christians are negatively characterized by television and in movies. News-writers often slant their version of the stories involving Christians to make us look backward and, uneducated or just plain whacko! Those who stand for the truth of God’s Word are insulted, lied about and criticized. Christians in the work place who let their faith be known are often maligned, and passed over for promotion!  I could go on but I think you get the point.     

 The words that Jesus speaks in verse eighteen were certain to have jolted his disciples as they continue to unsettle believers today. He said, “If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you.”

       Although this verse begins with the word “if” the matter is not really in question. The “if” as used here is conditional with a literal meaning of “since.” The dominant theme of the text today is the hostility of the world to Christ and his followers, the word “hate” or “hatred” is repeated seven times in this verses.

       Previously Jesus has shown them how deeply he loved the disciples and now He shows them the contrast to that love by explaining that the world is going to hate them. Throughout his ministry Jesus warned His disciples that they could expect being His followers would not be an easy existence,that in fact they could expect to be persecuted.    

          The Bible is filled with predictions of the cost of discipleship.  

“Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations for My name’s sake.”  (Matt 24:9) 

“Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution.” (2 Tim 3:12) 

“For to you it has been granted on behalf of Christ, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake.” (Phil 1:29)  

“…that no one should be shaken by these afflictions; for you yourselves know that we are appointed to this.” (1 Thess 3:3)  

“Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you; (13) but rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ’s sufferings, that when His glory is revealed, you may also be glad with exceeding joy.” (1 Peter 4:12-13)

            Persecution, tribulation, trials, and suffering are all words used in the Bible to describe the plight of those who stand in faithfulness to Christ and in opposition to the world. It is not something that might happen to Christians, but rather something that is promised will happen to believers.

       William Temple in his Readings in John’s Gospel notes that, “The world …would not hate angels for being angelic;  but it does hate men for being Christians. It grudges then their new character; it is tormented by their peace; it is infuriated by their joy.” [William Temple. Readings in John’s Gospel. (NY: MacMillian, 1945), p.272]

       I believe that Temple is right and we deceive ourselves if look for anything other than hatred or at the very least indifference from the world!

       Everything that Jesus shares with His Disciples about persecution was for the purpose that they not be taken unaware and caused to stumble. This morning I want to look at three simple things that the Lord lays out about persecution. 

First, Don’t Be Surprised By Persecution.

(15:18-25)

       The Lord identifies three reasons why His followers will be hated by the world.

       First, the world hates Christians because they are different – they are not of the world.

(v. 19) “If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.”

       There is an inevitability to the world’s hatred of Christians because when verse nineteen says, “If you were of the world” the construction implies a negative and would therefore mean, “If you were of the world (and you are not).” The word used to describe the world in this verse is (kosmos) and it is the not the earth, per se, but the world system. There is a sense in which Christians belong to the world. Everyone lives in the physical world. Believers are born into it in exactly the same way as the non-believers; we grow up with the same attractions and distractions. But true followers of Jesus are not of the world in the sense of the things that matter.

       The word “cosmos” is the word from which we get the word “cosmetics” and it means “to put in order.”  Cosmetics are designed to put women’s faces in order. Or as the old country preacher said, “Every old barn can benefit from a fresh coat of paint.”  Just kidding!!!!

       What is be alluded to here is the world order or system and speaks of the world’s values, pleasures, pastimes and goals. The reason the world hates Christians is because they are not of it, they are distinct. The world hates them because they are different.

       In the same way the more you look like Christ the more the world is going to treat you the same way it treated Him. When you don’t act, talk or think like the world does, you are going to make the crowd uncomfort-able.

       “Is the move of God so evident in your life that it invites scrutiny from friends or coworkers? …A life of obedience will be an affront to the (value) systems of this world. When God begins His deeper work in you, it will be a stumbling block to those around you. When you are rejected for Christ, consider that Christ is affirming his call on your life and you are becoming a threat to the kingdom of darkness. … Those who sit in a pew from week to week and never speak the name of Christ in the workplace require few opponents because they represent no threat to the kingdom of darkness.” [Os Hillman. Prime Time for God. “Rejected for Christ” (cgimail@churchgrowth.org.)

          If the church in America today is not undergoing persecution it may be because there is very little distinction between the world and the church. Religious surveys consistently show that there are less and less noticeable difference between the lifestyles of those who attend church and those who do not. Church members wear the same clothes as the secular culture, watch the same movies, get divorced at the same rate, buy as just as many lottery tickets, have as many affairs and use just as many questionable business practices.

But the more you look like Christ the more the world is going to treat you the same way it treated Him.

        Secondly, the world hates Christians because it hates Christ. (vv. 22-24)

“If I had not come and spoken to them, they would have no sin, but now they have no excuse for their sin. (23) He who hates Me hates My Father also. (24) If I had not done among them the works which no one else did, they would have no sin; but now they have seen and also hated both Me and My Father.”

       Dr. James Montgomery Boice has a good illustration on this point. “We have an illustration of this in the way Americans are hated in some parts of the world today. If you were to visit some of these places,…  you would find that you are severely disliked and some-times in danger. But the problem would not be you. The people you meet would not even know you. The problem is that you are an American and that America and its policies are hated in these places. The hatred you would experience is a mark of your citizenship. In the same way, the hatred of the world against Christians is a mark of their identification with Jesus, whom the world despises.”   [James Montgomery Boice. The Gospel of John: An Expositional Commentary. Five Volumes in One. (Grand Rapids: Zondervans, 1985) p. 1066]

       The world hates Christ because before Christ came and taught men and women could get by with relative goodness. But the words of Christ spoken to the religious crowds overturned their traditions and exposed the emptiness of their religious practices. His words shattered all the self-justification that the Jews had practiced and wrecked their confidence as being spiritual men and they hated him for it!

       Christ’s words and His works brought sin to light. Had it not been for the presence of Jesus in the world perhaps they could have been able to say, “We did not know.” But they have no excuse now. Jesus had been among them and had pointed the way to the truth and now they are without excuse. The reason that the world hates Jesus and those of us who bear the name of Jesus, is because Jesus exposes their sin. When Jesus says in (v. 22) “If I had not come and spoken to them, they would have no sin,” he does not mean they would not be guilty of sin, but rather that now that their sins are exposed they have no excuse for ignoring it. People of the world don’t want to be told they are sinners because then they would need a Savior. They don’t want a savior or at least they want to be able to pick one of their own choosing. They don’t like to be exposed for what they really are!

       “Once an African chief, in this case a woman, happened to visit a mission station. Hanging outside the missionary’s cabin, on a tree, was little mirror. The chief happened to look into the mirror and saw her reflection, with its hideous paint and evil features. She gazed at her own terrifying counten-ance and jumped back in horror exclaiming, “Who is that horrible-looking person inside that tree?” “Oh,” the missionary said, “it’s not in the tree. The glass is reflecting your own face.”
        The African would not believe it until she held the mirror in her hand. She said, “I must have the glass. How much will you sell it for?” “Oh,” the missionary said, “I don’t want to sell it.” But she begged until he capitulated. She took the mirror. Exclaiming, “I will never have it making faces at me again,” she threw it down and broke it into pieces.” [Harry Ironside. “Addresses on the Gospel of John.” pp. 684-685]
          This is exactly what the Jews reacted to Jesus. They could not stand to be exposed. He made them face who they really were – sinners. He made them responsible for their sin.

       Third, the world hates Christians so that the Word of God may be fulfilled. (v. 25)

“But this happened that the word might be fulfilled which is written in their law, ‘They hated Me without a cause.”

       The world hated Jesus because He exposed their sin. He showed them who they were and they didn’t like it. In John 3:19-20 we read, “And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. (20) For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed.”

       So when you are rejected for Christ, consider that Christ is affirming His call in your life and you are becoming a threat to the kingdom of darkness. Those who sit in the pew from week to week and never speak the name of Christ in the workplace require few opponents because they represent very little threat to the kingdom of darkness.

So Don’t Be Surprised By Persecution and…. 

Secondly, Don’t Be Lacking In Under-standing About Persecution !

       There are two things the readers are asked to do in our text today and both of them relate to an gaining an understanding of the matter of the world’s opposition those who follow Christ.

       There are two words I want you to underline in your Bible’s.

       The first thing the readers is asked to do is found in verse eighteen, “If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you.” The first thing we are asked to do is found in this verb “know.” I want to ask you to underline that word in your Bibles this morning. The Greek word translated “know” is (ginoskete) and it implies a growth in understanding rather an attaining a full and complete understanding. It is the idea that as you mature in your Christian faith you are to grow in your understanding of the world’s hatred for Christ and consequently a hatred for all those who follow Him.

       The second thing the reader is asked to do is found in verse twenty. “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…”

Underline the word “remember” in you Bibles. The word “remember” carries with it the meaning of “exercise of understanding.” It shows that we are to mull these truths around in our minds, to let these truths sink in, and to recall them for constant use.

       Taken together, the believer is to “know” that the world hates Christians because it hates Christ and “remember” that since they persecuted Christ they will persecute Christians. The second part of verse twenty goes on to say, “….If they kept My word, they will keep yours also. (21) But all these things they will do to you for My name’s sake, because they do not know Him who sent Me.”

Jesus was saying to His disciples, "You are going to have the same situation that I had: Some people are going to perse-cute you and some people are going to accept your words.” Although there will always be a larger number that will be antagonistic toward the believer, there will be some who accept the truth. Some may believe the gospel through the testimony of our lives or some who are already believers may be positively impacted by us. Yet although some will accept Christ's teaching, and therefore, that of His servants, their number will be fewer than those who do not! Jesus warns in Matthew 7:13-14, "Wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. (14) Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.”

The Believer is not be lacking in understanding of persecution and …. 

Third, Don’t Be Overwhelmed by Persecution.  (16:1-4)

“These things I have spoken to you, that you should not be made to stumble. (2) They will put you out of the synagogues; yes, the time is coming that who-ever kills you will think that he offers God service. (3) And these not known the Father nor Me. (4) But these things I have told you, that when the time comes, you may remember that I told you of them.”

       Quite simply to be forewarned is to be forearmed. The Greek word for “stumble” in verse one is (skandalizo) and we get our English word “scandal” from it. When you stumble your walk is interrupted and that is what the Lord wants to prevent. We are caused to stumble when we are overwhelmed by persecution.

There are several ways that we can react when we are overwhelmed. We may react by adopting the ways of the world in order to fit it and not be an object of hatred. Or we might look for a place to hide and never come out, for fear of the onslaught of hatred. Or we might react by returning hatred for hatred. But we can avoid any of these potential reactions by embracing the things that Jesus has told us.  

Conclusion

       He has told us that persecution will be a part of life for all those who seek to live godly lives in this world (2 Tim 3:12) so expect it! We are not to be startled by the hatred of this world. It is to be expected. Persecution will come. Given the character of Christianity, the wickedness of this world, and the hatred of our enemy, it is inevitable that persecution both great and small shall arise. But Satan cannot win. The victory has already been won. We are only asked to remain faithful.