Sunday Devotional
Christian Response to the World's Hate
John 15:18-16:4a
Pastor Wes
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What timely messages God has been giving us through Jesus’ words in the book of John! A couple weeks ago we looked at Jesus’ secret to having true joy, in John 15 - through abiding in Him, in His words, in His love- and last week Pastor Dave gave us a fantastic illustration of abiding in His love, as spokes connected to the hub of God the Father. In the following passage, beginning in verse 18 of the same chapter (John 15), Jesus addresses the issue of hate towards Himself and His followers. Pastor Dave and I were joking last week that he got to preach on love (verses 12-17) and that I had to follow with preaching on hate starting in verse 18. All joking aside, I want to point you to the reason why Jesus is emphasizing His love and abiding in it, and then at the same time also warning of the world’s hatred. We saw earlier the purpose behind Jesus’ teaching on abiding in Him, His word, and His love- verse 11 of chapter 15 says “These things I have spoken to you so that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full.” The obtainment of joy was the purpose behind His teaching on abiding. Then after teaching on love and hatred, Jesus says in verse 1 of chapter 16 “These things I have spoken to you so that you may be kept from stumbling.” So, Jesus’ teaching on His love that we looked at last week, combined with His teaching on the world’s hate that we’ll be looking at today, these teachings are given with the intent to keep His followers from stumbling.
I don’t like stumbling. I don’t like tripping over a chair leg in the middle of the night, or stepping barefoot onto one of the boys’ Lego pieces. I don’t like losing my balance and having to scramble my feet in an effort to avoid falling down. On one of the exploration trips I did in South America, we walked for miles all day, every day, for many days in a row, in a flowing river bed where you could not see what was below the muddy water’s surface. Every step I was either preparing to stumble, in the act of stumbling, or recovering from just having stumbled. It was perpetual stumbling- slipping on rocks, catching toes on rocks, bashing shins on rocks.
Jesus doesn’t want us to do that spiritually. He doesn’t want us to be tripped up and fall over false teaching, or over discouragement, or over fear- but He wants for us to be able to walk firmly and confidently on solid ground in our spiritual journey- no matter what life on this earth brings us. Jesus wants us to be firmly rooted in His love so that we won’t stumble. He wants us to be secure in His love- knowing that He laid down His life for us (v. 13), knowing that He considers us friends if we follow His commands (v. 14), knowing that He chose us (v. 16)- so secure in His love that we can even impart that love to others (v. 17). He wants us to be so aware and grounded in His love that as life circumstances attempt to diminish His love, we as His followers wouldn’t fall deep into doubt and wouldn’t waiver (stumble) in our faith, trust, belief, rest- in Him and in His love for us. But in addition to our knowledge of His love, knowledge of the world’s hate will also help keep us from stumbling. Verse 18…
Why is the world in general hostile to Christians and to Biblical principles, values, and morals? This verse tells us, it is because the world hates Jesus. How can the world hate Jesus, who was so good, kind, loving- who sacrificed Himself for all peoples of the world? Well, perhaps because Jesus is exclusive. He’s not just a way to live life, a way to do religion, a way to heaven- but He claims that He is THE way, THE truth, THE life and that no one comes to the Father (Heaven) except through Him. (John 14:6) Jesus claims that there is absolute truth, that He is the absolute standard- and that’s offensive to many. That’s not showing tolerance. That’s not showing acceptance. He is “patient” and “not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:9) but He is very clear that avoiding death is only possible on His terms. Perhaps many hate Jesus because He requires admitting guilt in order to receive His forgiveness. (1 John 1:9) Others of the world would argue that they don’t actually hate Jesus, or that they are just merely indecisive concerning Him- but in not following Him, and in deciding not to make a decision towards Him- their lives prove that they don’t love Him, but actually hate Him.
As His followers, if we adhere to His teaching, we will be going against the flow of the rest of the world- verse 19-20… Keeping Jesus’ word and following Him, makes us not fit in. Anybody out there ever wrestle with feeling like you don’t fit in- feeling restless, out-numbered, struggling to find contentment or balance in this world? Well, welcome to the club! Jesus says here, that is exactly what we should expect! So, stop worrying about it, stop complaining about it, stop trying to find a way out of it- and settle into the idea that as a follower of Jesus you are out of place and going against the flow. It’s ok. Don’t be tempted to fall in line with the world- its philosophies and its compromises- in order to feel like less of an outsider. Take a deep breath, and live in the tension that following Jesus requires.
Not only are we not of this world, but we have a different knowledge than those of the world- verse 21… By “all these things” Jesus is referring back to the hate, and persecution mentioned in the previous verse, and perhaps also forwardly to chapter 16 verse 2 that mentions outcasting from the synagogue and seeking to kill followers of Jesus. The world will do “all these things” because they are lacking in knowledge. As followers of Jesus, as upholders of God’s written word, we are equipped with a knowledge of the true Creator God, the knowledge of the origins of earth, the knowledge of what is right and wrong, good and bad, the knowledge of where this world is headed, and the knowledge of where followers of Jesus are headed. Now, no one likes a “know it all” who is arrogant and prideful of what he/she knows that others don’t. It’s easy to hate people like that. Anybody in school wrestle with hate for math and for the know-it-alls who could just easily, seemingly without much thought, just figure it out? Someone posted on Facebook this week why they hated math, it showed that in class the problem was 5+5, then the homework was 734+556-432/69, but for some reason the problem on the test was “With 2 sheep flying, one yellow and the other headed right, how much does a pound of asphalt cost, given that the cow is 10 years old?” I would be pretty tempted to strongly dislike the teachers and students who thought they had that problem figured out. But hate for know-it-alls is probably not what Jesus is referring to. I believe He is saying that the world will hate His followers because the world doesn’t know God the Father and His love like we do. But, may we as Christians never be hated because of an arrogant pride of our worldview. May we hold strongly to God’s truth, but defend it in humility, kindness, and love.
Jesus is central to God’s love for us, and He is central to the world’s hate for us, and He is central also to how God will judge the world. Verse 22-24… With Jesus coming to Earth, He shifted things spiritually to where there now exists only 1 sin that will judge and condemn you on judgement day. There is only 1 sin that will keep you out of Heaven. There is only 1 sin that is unforgiveable. This sin is the worst thing you could ever do in the whole world. Every other of even the most evil, gross, sick, terrible things you could do in this world are nothing compared to this 1 sin. That 1 sin is rejecting God’s peace offering of Jesus and the forgiveness He offers. But God knew long before Jesus was sent to earth, that many would hate Him and reject this forgiveness- verse 25…
It was prophesied through the Psalmist David, and through other prophets, that Jesus would be rejected. Right now you might be thinking, this isn’t a very encouraging message. Or you might be wondering, where is the hope in this message Jesus is giving concerning the world’s hatred? Here it is, verse 26 and following (v. 26-16:1…)
We have been given a Helper- an Advocate/Defender, as Pastor Dave pointed out a few weeks ago. Amid the world’s hate, we have a defender, a reminder of truth, that will testify to us and to the world of the Father’s love. When the world hates us and it seems all is lost, God’s Spirit whispers- “No- take heart, for I have overcome the world. Be patient and persevere.” When we’re discouraged and we feel like we’re fighting a losing battle, God’s Spirit whispers “the battle is not yours, but mine. Rest in the tension, trust in me, abide in me, and we will overcome.” When we’re frustrated, unsettled, and unfulfilled in this world, God’s Spirit whispers “Don’t let your heart be troubled, I am preparing a place for you- wait for it.”
Jesus knew that circumstances would arise that, if we were blindsided by them, they would have the potential to make us stumble and fall. Pressures of the world, persecution, feelings of not belonging- would trip us up and perhaps cause us to stumble and fall spiritually. Feelings, emotions, others’ words and actions, have the potential (if we aren’t expecting them) to make us feel like we’re walking through life in a slippery, muddy river. Jesus continues, verse 2 and following (16:2-4a…)
Jesus even warns in advance of an evil as dark as killing Christians in the name of “God.” They will even say and believe they are acting in accordance with God’s will, but as Jesus says in verse 3- these really do not know God or Jesus. When we see these things happening- and most of Jesus’ disciples saw these type things happening even shortly after His resurrection and ascension- when we see these things happening, remember that Jesus said these things would take place and that these things should not shake us, surprise us, or in any way cause us to stumble and doubt His love for us.
Last week Pastor Dave mentioned the tremendous killing of Christians recently in Nigeria and in other parts of the world. I want to note that we do have work to do in the realm of racism and prejudiceness, but the elephant in the room is that the most persecuted people in the world, throughout history and currently in record numbers, is the persecution of Christians. Our brothers and sisters, around the world, for many years have experienced unfair treatment, boycotting, threats, confiscation of property/homes/businesses/land, beatings, murder, and genocide. For the longest time, Christians in the USA have avoided most persecution, with exception for silly jabs like being called a “goody-two-shoes.” It is very possible that the days of mild, insignificant persecution for Christians in the USA, could be soon coming to an end. It appears that those who reject biblical values, who reject that we are created by an intelligent God in His image, who reject God’s framework of the family unit, who reject absolute truth, who reject morality, who reject the claims of Jesus but are accepting of any other spiritual leader- it appears that these are becoming bolder, louder, more powerful, and more willing to silence those who disagree with them. Be warned that you will be hated by some because of your faith. But make sure you are hated because of true adherence to Jesus’ teachings, and not hated because you are hypocritical and aren’t following Jesus’ teachings. I won’t mention any names, but there is currently a certain influential Christian in the media spotlight right now that is catching a lot of criticism and fall out as a result not of His faith in Jesus, but as a result of poor decisions.
America, is very quickly evolving into fertile ground that breeds hate, persecution, and silencing for those who proclaim hope in Jesus and His word. The question today is, will you allow this hostile environment to cause you to stumble? Or will you consider yourself warned, and take comfort in Jesus’ promise in verses 26 that you’ll be given His Spirit and thus be strengthened to testify of Him no matter what the result?
Perhaps we all have questions unanswered about the events that have unfolded this year. But one thing is clear- things have changed and are no longer what they used to be. We are now living under circumstances that very easily could serve as catalysts aiming to diminish God’s church. I am convinced that we as God’s people will not be able to just merely tread water in the currents ahead of us. We will have to be stronger than ever to swim against the currents, or we will drown. We can complain about it being unfair, we can just give in and go with the flow, or we can dig in closer to God realizing that He has told us already that all of this will happen.
Our hope is not in circumstances changing, nor is it in political figures. We do hope that circumstances get better. We do hope that the right people get voted for. But if your hope is in a vaccine, or in an election, or in time “healing all things”- I want to warn you that it is very possible, and biblically supported, that things could get worse. “These things I have spoken to you so that you may be kept from stumbling.”
Church, no matter what happens, we must grow stronger in our connection to Jesus, and to each other. If things get worse, we will need the encouragement and the strength of the body of Christ like never before. Don’t allow your voice to be silenced. Don’t allow for you to be forced into isolation. Don’t allow your mind to be brainwashed into accepting News and Social Media as 100% truth. I shared with our leadership teams last Sunday evening Proverbs 15:22- it says “Without consultation, plans are frustrated, But with many counselors they succeed.” As hate and persecution against Jesus and the universal church increase, we will need the counsel, input, and encouragement of each other more than ever. Be smart and practice physical distancing, but please don’t make a habit of social distancing. We need each other socially. Love one another as Jesus commands in verse 17, and then persevere- through being loved or hated in return.