We Will be Hated
Text: John 15:18-27
Core Idea: Because we worship the King, Jesus, we will be hated by the world. But we are not to repay evil with evil. Instead, we are called to testify about Jesus so that the world will also know this wonderful Savior who is generously offering life to all – even His enemies.
INTRODUCTION
Good afternoon, Lighthouse. Since the new year, we’ve been going through John 15 to learn more about what it means to be a faithful disciple of Jesus Christ. And here are six things about discipleship that we learned so far:
1. Discipleship is about learning to remain in Christ. If we remain in Him, we will bear much fruit – apart from Him, we can do nothing.
2. The Word and prayer are vital elements that make discipleship possible – which means that if we want to truly grow this year, we really won’t be able to do so apart from spending time in Word and prayer.
3. Discipleship involves the pruning work of the Father. He is constantly carving and shaping us to become more like His Son.
4. A disciple of Jesus joyfully obeys the commands of God. We begin to see the Word not as a list of dos and don’ts but as a way to express our love to God.
5. A disciple of Jesus is marked by a sacrificial, truthful, and committed kind of love for God and others. And this is the most compelling witness to the beauty of our faith in the world.
6. A disciple of Jesus is filled with unshakable joy in all circumstances of life. And this is possible because Jesus went to the cross to place His joy in us.
Now, we must remember that Jesus was teaching this the night before He was killed. And He knew that His disciples would face the same hostility from the world. Then knowing this, He takes a moment to give them one more truth about what it means to follow Christ in order to warn them and prepare them. So, if you have your Bibles, please turn to John 15:18-27. Let’s find out what that is. Let me read this for us.
18 If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated Me first. 19 If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you. 20 Remember what I told you: “A servant is not greater than his master.” If they persecuted Me, they will persecute you also. If they obeyed My teaching, they will obey yours also. 21 They will treat you this way because of My name, for they do not know the one who sent Me. 22 If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not be guilty of sin; but now they have no excuse for their sin. 23 Whoever hates Me hates My Father as well. 24 If I had not done among them the works no one else did, they would not be guilty of sin. As it is, they have seen, and yet they have hated both Me and My Father. 25 But this is to fulfill what is written in their Law: “They hated Me without reason.” 26 When the Advocate comes, whom I will send to you from the Father – the Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father – He will testify about Me. 27 And you also must testify, for you have been with Me from the beginning.
Amen. This is the Word of God for you today.
The seventh truth that we learn about discipleship is that Jesus’ disciples will be hated by the world. Let me share three things from this passage:
· THE REALITY
· THE REASONS
· THE RESPONSE
1) THE REALITY
Following Jesus means that we will be hated – that’s the unavoidable reality for Christians. I know – this is not the most exciting thing to hear as we begin the new year but that’s what Jesus wants us to know. He doesn’t hide it – He doesn’t pretend like everything’s going to be easy. He lays it out in the open because He doesn’t want us to be misinformed – if you are a disciple of Jesus Christ, you will be hated by the world. Of course, this is not the only place where the Bible mentions the reality of persecution. For example, Paul says in 2 Timothy 3:12, “Everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.” It’s not like this may happen to us. No, this will happen to us.
Now, are Christians living in the West persecuted? The short answer is, “Yes.” And the not-so-short answer is: “Yes, Christians in the West are persecuted, but not as frequently, consistently, or with nearly the intensity that Christians are persecuted in many other parts of the world.” When many of us think of the word, “persecution,” we’re hesitant to apply it to ourselves knowing that there are many believers who are facing intense violence, abandonment, and even death in places like North Africa, the Middle East, and parts of Asia every day. If persecution means that there’s a decent chance that we might die for our faith this year, then no – we are not persecuted in this country. But is that what the Bible means by “persecution”? The Greek word for “persecution” is dioko, which literally means “to harass someone.” It’s true that this can refer to physical violence, but it’s not limited to this – it can also mean verbal harassment, rejection, humiliation, public mockery, or unfair, unjust treatment. It could mean that you are excluded from a project, lose a client, mocked in class, ostracized from your friend group – or have your reputation ruined. In fact, here’s a real-life example: not too long ago, I came across a video of Damar Hamlin, a football player, who suffered from cardiac arrest after making a tackle during a football game – causing the NFL to suspend the game. The game was postponed to a week later but what surprised many was the fact that before the game started, both teams including the coaching staff huddled on the field to take a moment to pray for Damar. Now, someone pointed this out to me – but Franklin Graham, the son of Billy Graham, tweeted this video by saying, “There is power in prayer!” And under that post, there were a lot of responses that supported what he said – but there were also other responses like these:
· I love that you automatically assume they were conversing with “God.”
· Prayer is what happens when people get desperate. It serves a purpose but does nothing. Now one thing it does do is fill Frank’s pockets with CASH.
· Nah, there’s power in science and medicine.
· Says the guy who exploits people’s belief in prayer for his own power.
· People who pray together can bond in a collective false belief in a god. People may feel empowered emotionally as cult members in a common activity. In reality, prayer is a vain attempt to beg an imaginary supernatural deity to take an action it can’t take. It’s nonsense.
Franklin Graham was just sharing a simple truth that he believed in – but the world would not have it. If we faithfully follow Jesus in this world, we will face persecution at some point in our Christian discipleship. Or to put it differently, persecution is the normal experience of every Christian. Of course, not everyone is going to hate us, but we will be hated.
Now, why is this important for us to remember? Because He’s reminding us that we shouldn’t be surprised when we are hated for our faith. 1 John 3:13 says, “Do not be surprised, my brothers and sisters, if the world hates you.” Too many of us are often just dumbfounded when people hate us or hate what we believe. We’re confused because what we expect are blessings. We understand that not everyone will accept the gospel but as long as we remain loving, gentle, and kind to others, we think that they’ll reciprocate that back to us. Well, it’s true that countless blessings do come when we choose to remain in Christ – things that are incomparably greater than anything that this world can offer. But because the world hated Jesus and because we love Jesus, no matter how loving we are, how loving we are with our words, they will hate us too. Then we must not be surprised when the world hates us for our devotion to Christ. In fact, if everyone loves you and everything you stand for, you might want to stop and examine yourself to see if you’re being faithful to the One who was despised. Be surprised if you’re not experiencing hostility because it could either mean that you’re surrounded only by the nicest people in the world or you’re doing a great job of hiding your faith from the world. 1 Peter 4:12-14 says, “Dear friends, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal that has come on you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice inasmuch as you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when His glory is revealed. If you are insulted because of the name of Christ, you are blessed, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you.” Ironically, hostility from the world simply affirms our faithfulness to Christ. The presence of persecution is no sign that we as Christians have failed to engage the world properly. In fact, it could just mean that we’re faithfully walking as disciples of Jesus Christ. Remember that our task is not to avoid all the persecution successfully but to be faithful to the mission that He has given us – namely to make disciples of all nations (Matt. 28:19). If we choose to obey this command, we will be hated.
2) THE REASONS
In this passage, Jesus tells us at least two reasons why we will be hated by the world – something about us and something about Jesus. First, something about us. Verse 19, “If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you.” Jesus makes it clear: we will be hated because we do not belong to the world but have been chosen to be out of the world. The moment we’ve been chosen, the moment we experience His grace, the moment we become sons and daughters of God, we no longer belong to the world. What does that mean? Simply put, it means that we no longer love the things that the world praises, cherishes, and desperately hungers for but instead, we love God knowing that He alone gives life and completes our joy. We no longer live for power, possessions, and pleasure. We stop pursuing status, influence, success, fame, and control to give us identity, purpose, and meaning in our lives. Instead, we live for His glory and His pleasure. Then let’s think about this – why does this create that kind of intense hostility from the world? Listen to what James 4:4 says, “You adulterous people, don’t you know that friendship with the world means enmity against God? Therefore, anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God.” When we become friends with God, we become enemies of the world. We love what they hate, and we hate what they love – no wonder they hate us so much.
Unfortunately, we often forget this truth. And as a result, many Christians are trying so hard to fit into this world again – to befriend the world again. We forget that it cost the very life of Jesus to bring us out of the world, and here we are, doing everything in our power to blend back into the world again – to wear the same thing, to drive the same car, to be able to afford to go on the same trip, to be recognized the same way, to be accepted and loved by the world. It’s almost like some of us are going through this spiritual FOMO (fear of missing out). We look at the world, and we feel like we’re missing out. We keep looking back, and we dream about all the ways we could’ve had fun – all the ways we could’ve made money, had control, been comfortable, gotten back at the people who mistreated us, and so on. Have you ever said something like this – “only if I wasn’t a Christian…”? Instead of remembering who we are in Christ now, we keep fantasizing about who we could’ve been if we didn’t become a Christian. “If I wasn’t a Christian, I could’ve used my money this way, I could’ve cheated and gotten away with it every time, I would’ve gotten out of my car right now and pummeled that guy. Of course, not that I would – I’m just saying. I would’ve done that if Jesus didn’t save me.” Brothers and sisters, if you find yourself saying things like this too often, I invite you to guard your hearts because this kind of FOMO (looking back to the world and wanting to identify with the world) will only create frustration, discontentment, and bitterness at God. Instead, look to Christ. And remember who you are – Jesus chose you and brought you out of the world. You no longer belong to the world. Then take this moment to examine how you think of money (the way you make money and use money), how you think of career, power, possessions, beauty, relationships, vacation, time, relationships, and so on. And we must guard ourselves so that our perspective on those things is not in line with how the world thinks but with what the Bible says. We must keep a watch on our souls, prepare ourselves – knowing that we at times may need to stand alone (to be the only one in our workplace, in our class, in our circle of friends) because we’re choosing to live like we don’t belong to the world.
The second reason why we will be hated: something about Jesus. Verse 21, “They will treat you this way because of My name, for they do not know the One who sent Me. If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not be guilty of sin; but now they have no excuse for their sin. Whoever hates Me hates My Father as well. If I had not done among them the works no one else did, they would not be guilty of sin. As it is, they have seen, and yet they have hated both Me and My Father.” We can spend a lot of time on what Jesus said, but the main point is this: the world hates Jesus because He exposes their darkness. When Jesus says that they wouldn’t have been guilty of sin if He hadn’t come, He doesn’t mean that they were perfect people until He came. No, He meant that by His arrival, His ministry, and His teaching, Jesus brought to light their preference for darkness, their allegiance to the father of lies, and their rebellion against the true King. Jesus and His teaching are a threat to the world. Here’s an example of what this looks like. This is something that I heard in one of Pastor Tim Keller’s sermons. There was an article written by Virginia Stem Owens who was teaching English at a major Texas university in 1987. In it, she shared that she assigned the students to read the Sermon on the Mount and write a response paper. Now, an important context we must remember is that almost all the students in her class were from middle-class, conservative, Republic, churchgoing, white families. Then here are some of the things that her students wrote in their response papers:
· Religion is a big hoax, and this Sermon on the Mount just proves it.
· This is extremely strict and allows for almost no fun.
· I did not like the Sermon on the Mount. It made me feel like I had to be perfect – and nobody is.
· The things asked in the Sermon on the Mount are just absurd. To look at a woman is adultery? That is the most extreme, stupid, un-human statement that I have ever heard.
· Many of the things in the Sermon on the Mount are irrelevant to current life. For example, loving your enemies – no one does that anymore. Missing the fact that when Jesus said this, no one did then either. This is irrelevant. People don’t live like this anymore.
Then reading these papers, she ultimately concluded that Jesus’ teaching made these students feel like there was something wrong with them – and that no one wants to feel that way. That’s what Jesus does: He exposes our brokenness, sinfulness, and need for a Savior. Jesus isn’t just a good teacher, but He is the Creator of the universe, the Savior of the world, the Lord of all things, the true King who brings with Him a completely new way of life, a completely new way of doing things – and we are all called to submit to His lordship. The reason why we are hated is because we worship the King who is a threat to the world that wants to remain on the throne. In other words, Jesus Christ is the cause of the hostility we face. But we won’t look back because everything we desire, everything we need is found in Him. He alone is the treasure of our hearts – the only One who satisfies our souls. May what Peter said in John 6:68 be the confession of our hearts: “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.”
3) THE RESPONSE
How should we respond to this hostility from the world? Of course, we should humbly obey 1 Peter 3:9, which says, “Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult. On the contrary, repay evil with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing.” As Christians, we ought to live this way. But what I want to focus on today is something we find in verses 26-27, “When the Advocate comes, whom I will send to you from the Father – the Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father – He will testify about Me. And you also must testify, for you have been with Me from the beginning.” Here, Jesus begins by telling us that the reason why the Advocate (referring to the Holy Spirit) comes is to testify about Him. The Holy Spirit shows the world who Jesus really is. And Jesus tells us that this Holy Spirit is now sent to us. Then as people who have been filled with the Spirit who testifies, there’s only one thing for us to do: testify. That’s how we should respond to the hostility from the world. Let me quickly share four things about this.
First, it will be costly. The Greek word for “testify” is “martyereo.” It’s where we get the word “martyr” in English. Now, in the original Greek, this word didn’t necessarily mean to die for your faith – it just meant “to bear testimony to what you have seen, to be a witness.” And that’s exactly what Christians did – they gave testimony of who Jesus was and what He did – of what they saw. But this would cost them their lives – which is why the word “martyr” evolved to become dying for your faith. Then we must realize that testifying about Jesus in this world will always cost us something. Then ask yourself, “Am I ready to suffer for Christ? What’s keeping me from bearing the cost? What am I afraid of losing?”
Second, it’s about Jesus. Verse 26 says, “Testify about Me.” Sadly, some Christian testimonies are not really about Jesus – they’re about them. It’s about what they went through, what they learned, what they accomplished – of course, all in the name of Jesus. But Jesus makes it clear – we must make Him known. Our testimony must be about who Jesus is, what He went through, what He accomplished. Then ask yourself, “Is my testimony more about me or more about Christ? Who gets the glory?”
Third, it must be from our experience. Verse 27, “And you also must testify, for you have been with Me from the beginning.” In other words, yes, Christian testimony is about Jesus, but it must come from our experience as well – the experience of doing life with Him. Let me explain why this is important. John Stott said, “Nothing shuts the mouth, seals the lips, and ties the tongue like the secret poverty of our own spiritual experience. We say nothing because we have nothing to say. We do not bear witness for the simple reason that we have no witness to bear. If the Bread of life has evidently not satisfied us, why should non-Christians suppose it will satisfy them?” Before we’re transformed by God’s grace, we probably won’t say anything because we have nothing to say. But when the cross of Christ grips our hearts, when we experience His grace for ourselves, we will speak out. Then let me ask you, “Have you had the love of God experienced in your heart? Have you had your identity changed by Him? Have you seen yourself change radically in your attitude toward the things of this world?” Unless the gospel is a living reality in our lives, we won’t be effective.
Lastly, we will never be alone. Remember what Jesus said: He will send the Holy Spirit to us. He will be with us to strengthen us and help us. 2 Timothy is the last letter that Paul wrote from prison in Rome. There, he was on trial for his life. And listen to what he says in 2 Timothy 4:16-18, “At my first defense, no one came to my support, but everyone deserted me. May it not be held against them. But the Lord stood at my side and gave me strength, so that through me the message might be fully proclaimed and all the Gentiles might hear it. And I was delivered from the lion’s mouth. The Lord will rescue me from every evil attack and will bring me safely to His heavenly kingdom. To Him be glory for ever and ever. Amen.” He was saying, “Everybody deserted me in the midst of fierce hostility. But the Lord was with me, and I testified.” In fact, he was so comforted by this truth that it didn’t bother him that he was alone – because he wasn’t. The Lord was with him. And the same is true for us. Brothers and sisters, when we are hated by the world, when we are testifying to the world, we are never alone – He is with us in the presence of the Spirit. How can we be sure of this? Because at the end of Jesus’ life, when He was on trial for His life, when He was experiencing the hostility of the world, when He was alone because all His friends deserted Him, He chose us and endured the cross so that we could have life and be with Him forever. In other words, He was utterly alone so that you and I would never have to be. And if Jesus did this, there’s no place He would leave us alone. He will be with us always. This is the great promise given to us. This is why we can confidently go and testify to the world.
CONCLUSION
Lighthouse family, because we worship the King, Jesus, we will be hated by the world. But we are not to repay evil with evil. Instead, we are called to testify about Jesus so that the world will also know this wonderful Savior who is generously offering life to all – even His enemies. But let me end this way. I know this message has been very heavy which is why I want to share what Jesus said to His disciples at the end of His Farewell Discourse. Yes, Jesus’ disciples will be hated by the world, but this is how He ended this teaching – John 17:20-23, 33, “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… I have told you these things, so that in Me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” Let these words give you hope today.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
1) Have you experienced hostility from those around you because of your faith in Christ? How did you respond?
2) Hostility from the world simply affirms our faithfulness to Christ. How would this truth sustain you when you are hated by the world?
3) Read verse 19. How do we remain out of the world yet still be in the world? How can we remain faithful to Christ when the intensity of hostility grows by being different from the world?
4) Who will you testify to today? Take some time to pray for that person together