Follow the Master

There's a true story of a small village in India.

And in this village, there was this family that came to a saving faith in Jesus Christ, a Savior and Lord.

This agitated the village so much and everybody became so upset that an angry mob gathered and shoved them into the public square.

The village chief confronted them and he said to the man,

If you and your family will not recant your faith, you all will surely die.

The man didn't know what to say or what to do.

And so the only thing that came to mind for him were the words of a song that he himself had composed when he had first surrendered his life to God.

And so he began to sing,

I have decided to follow Jesus.

No turning back.

No turning back.

No turning back.

No turning back.

And with that, horrifically, his children were killed.

I have decided to follow Jesus.

I have decided to follow Jesus.

No turning back.

No turning back.

He was given another chance, this time with his wife's life on the line.

And yet he continued to sing,

Though none go with me, still I will follow.

No turning back.

No turning back.

No turning back.

After her tragic death, he was given one final opportunity, this time to save himself.

And yet he continued to sing.

The cross before me, the world behind me.

The cross before me.

The world behind me.

The cross before me.

The world behind me.

No turning back.

No turning back.

Even though that man and his family died on that day, something remarkable happened.

a seed was planted in the heart of that village chief,

a seed that began to grow over time,

and eventually he called the community together

in that very same neighborhood, in that very same square,

and he renounced his former faith

and declared his allegiance to Jesus Christ.

And a celebration broke out in that moment,

and the gospel began to flourish and to grow in that community,

not just in that village, but across the whole region,

because they had seen real faith,

and they knew the true character of God

because of a family that believed and sacrificed,

even under the penalty of death.

No turning back

No turning back

We've been working through for a few weeks now

the chapters in John's gospel that we know of as the Farewell Discourse.

It's often seen as Jesus' goodbye to his disciples,

but there's more going on here than just goodbye.

This is more than just,

I'm leaving.

This is carry on,

these are marching orders,

and the focus till this point has been so positive.

It's been so encouraging.

It's been all about comforting the disciples.

If you remember back in chapter 14,

Jesus began to tell his disciples

that he is leaving for the purpose

of preparing a room for them,

that the reason he is going

is because there was more,

and he is going ahead of them in preparation.

He told them about another counselor

that he would give to them,

another helper,

who was going to be just like Jesus.

They would not be left alone.

There was another one coming from the Father.

Even in chapter 15,

the command to love,

the command to bear fruit,

it all comes in the context

of being reminded

that it's Jesus who is divine,

that it's him who will empower them

to love one another,

that it's him who will enable them

to bear fruit,

that it's his Holy Spirit

who will be with them,

and the incredible promise

in the back half of chapter 14

that the Father and the Son

will make their home

with these disciples even now,

that they will come

and that they will dwell with them

in the person of the Holy Spirit.

But suddenly,

when we get to this second half

of chapter 15,

everything shifts.

There's this drastic change

in the tone of what Jesus has to say

because he knows

that there is a reality

that the disciples will face

that is far from comforting,

that is far from easy.

And he begins in verse 18.

If the world hates you,

keep in mind that it hated me first.

If you belong 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.

Remember the words I spoke to you.

No servant is greater than his master.

If they persecuted me,

they will persecute you also.

If they obeyed my teaching,

they will obey yours also.

They will treat you this way

because of my name,

for they do not know

the one who sent me.

The message Jesus has for his disciples

is the world will hate you.

I will be with you.

I'm preparing a place for you.

I will make my home with you,

but the world that you live in

will hate you.

For all the good that you try and do,

for all the love that you show

to your brothers and sisters,

and especially for the message

that you bring,

that Jesus is the only hope for salvation.

Because of all that,

the world will hate you.

The disciples need to realize

that they have chosen to follow

a suffering saviour.

That the one who they are here with,

the one who they are giving their lives to,

has been rejected his whole life.

Very soon he will be killed,

crucified,

and they've got to understand

that's the one they're following.

Following Jesus means following Jesus.

And the footsteps he took

led him to the cross,

led him to suffering and rejection

and ultimately death.

It shouldn't be a surprise for the disciples,

but this one last time,

before he leaves,

Jesus wants them to hear it from his mouth.

The path of a Christian

is one of suffering and rejection.

Following Jesus means following Jesus.

Look at verse 22.

It says,

If I had not come and spoken to them,

they would not be guilty of sin.

Now, however,

they have no excuse for their sin.

If I had not done among them

what no one else did,

they would not be guilty of sin.

But now they have seen these miracles,

and yet they have hated

both me and my Father.

Jesus arrives and begins to preach

that the kingdom of God is near,

begins to preach that salvation

and forgiveness is in him,

begins to prove that he is the Son of God

who can bring forgiveness

by the power of his miracles,

by the authority of his teaching,

and yet they reject him.

He comes offering forgiveness and hope,

but the kingdom he preached

was not necessarily the kingdom

that they wanted to hear about.

The kingdom that Jesus preached

was a kingdom of righteousness,

a kingdom of holiness.

And so what it did was hold a mirror up

to just how unworthy the world was.

Jesus' life and his miracles

and his perfect example

and his message

that he alone is the way,

the truth and the life,

took away the opportunity

that the world had

to deceive itself

into thinking it was okay.

His arrival meant

that you chose him

and chose life

or you rejected him

and chose death.

It's not a surprise

that the world hates Jesus.

Nobody wants to be told

that they're not good enough.

Nobody wants to be told

that they don't measure up.

And Jesus' life,

in its perfect holiness

and obedience,

made obvious the sins

of the world he went to,

made obvious the sins

of his people,

and the lives of the disciples

will continue to offend.

They will continue to show people

that they're not measuring up,

that the standard is not okay

and people will hate them for it.

We shouldn't be surprised

as Christians

when the world hates us.

It angers people to think

that we as Christians

can have contentment

and hope and joy

and forgiveness

even when we stuff up

just like they do.

It angers the world

to think that we can be content

without the things

that they need to be content with.

It angers the world

that we can have joy

and satisfaction

even if we don't have

the dream job

or the dream house

or the 2.3 kids.

It angers them

that Christians

could trust Jesus

to judge

rather than taking revenge

for themselves.

It's no surprise

that the world hates Jesus

and it's no surprise

that it hated the disciples

and it shouldn't be a surprise

if it hates us as well.

I want you to grasp

the weight

of what Jesus says

in this couple of verses here.

We've got the luxury.

We can look back

at these words

thousands of years

into the future.

Think about what happened

just after Jesus

uttered these words.

within a few hours

of reminding the disciples

that the world hated him

Jesus was arrested

tortured

beaten

and brutally murdered.

For all

but one

of these 11 disciples

brutal death

awaited them.

they would follow Jesus

to the point

of being killed

for being a Christian.

Some would be crucified

some would be beheaded

some would be drawn

and courted.

It's not too strong

to say

that the world

hated the disciples.

It's not too strong

to say

that the world

hated Jesus.

But the crazy thing is

as we read through that

and we think about

what happened

after Jesus spoke

these words

listen to verse 25

this

this hatred

this suffering

this persecution

this death

this

is to fulfill

what was written

in their law

they hated me

without reason.

This law

is the Psalms

it's God's word

it's the scriptures.

Jesus on the cross

was God's plan

and the disciples

and all the suffering

and opposition

that they faced

was also part

of God's plan.

It's kind of easy

for us now

to think of the cross

as being a time

when God is incredibly

in control

because we know

how it ends.

But can you imagine

what it would have been like

to stand there

on that first Easter

staring at your

Saviour

suffering

straining for his

last breath

about to die

and trying to be confident

that God was in control.

each one of these disciples

would face

their own death

and Jesus needs them

to understand

it's part of the plan.

No matter how hard

it gets

no matter how tough

it is

it's part

of the plan.

God is still

in control.

Jesus is warning them

not so that they

can avoid it

not so they can

find a way around it

but so they can

endure it.

If you turn to

chapter 17

where Jesus is

praying for his

disciples

in verse 15

his prayer says

my prayer is not

that you take them

out of the world

but that you protect

them from the evil one.

Jesus doesn't want

his disciples

to miss out

on this suffering

and persecution

that's coming

he just wants them

to be able to

last the distance

he wants them

to endure

he wants them

to get to the other

side and still

be following Jesus

still be going

strong

the suffering

is part of the

journey

and it's part

of the plan

and his prayer

is that the devil

doesn't use the

suffering to drag

them away

ultimately

but not that the

suffering disappears

altogether

that is part of

the plan

and what does

Jesus call his

disciples to do

when the suffering

and the persecution

comes

verse 26

when the counsellor

comes who 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

the thing that is

making them

persecuted

is the message

that they are

bringing about

Jesus

it is the testimony

that Jesus alone

can save

it is the testimony

that you are not

good enough

without Jesus

it is the testimony

that you need

his help

to be a Christian

it is the thing

that moves people

to call Christians

arrogant and exclusive

it is a message

that says

there is one way

not any way

that is well

intentioned

there is one way

to our heavenly

father

and that is

through the son

and Jesus

sends his spirit

after he leaves

so that it might

dwell in us

and might remind us

of the one way

to heaven

might remind us

of the work

that Jesus

has accomplished

in forgiving us

and cleansing us

and making us

acceptable

but more than that

it will empower

the disciples

to testify

for themselves

to open their mouth

and to speak

out loud

Jesus chose

these men

that they might

be witnesses

to his ministry

that they might

be there

for the three years

they might hear

the sermons

they might see

the miracles

they might see

him on the cross

they might see

him alive

they might see

him ascend

to the throne

in heaven

they are eyewitnesses

and Jesus

has chosen

these eleven men

and their testimony

to be the foundation

for the church

in the creed

we said just before

we said that we are

an apostolic church

what we mean

when we say that

is we are a church

that is based on

the eyewitness testimony

of the apostles

so it matters

that these guys

come through

it matters

that persecution

isn't enough

to make them quiet

it matters

that persecution

isn't enough

to stop them

speaking of Jesus

and so Jesus

promises

I will give you

a counsellor

I will give you

a helper

to strengthen you

to remind you

of what I have

already done

and to empower you

to speak boldly

no matter what

opposition

you might face

in verse 1

Jesus explains

all this I have

told you

so that you

will not go

astray

these guys

must last

the distance

they will put you

out of the synagogue

in fact

a time is coming

when anyone

who kills you

will think

he is offering

a service

to God

we are reminded

of Paul

who in Acts

is standing there

approving

as Stephen

is stoned

to death

Paul is killing

Christians

because he believes

he is helping

God to get rid

of these upstarts

who have come up

with a new way

but Jesus

explains

they will do

such things

because they

have not

known the

Father

or me

I have told

you this

so that

when the time

comes

you will remember

that I warned

you

Jesus warns

them so that

they know

what is coming

so that there is

no surprises

in following him

so they don't

go astray

these 11 guys

need to say

with conviction

I have decided

to follow Jesus

and there is no

turning back

he wants ringing

in their ears

as one of the

last things

that he says

they hated me

they will

hate you

as well

but when they do

continue

to testify

don't let the fact

that your words

have brought

this persecution

on you

stop you

from speaking

because that is

why I have

left you here

he chose us

out of the world

but he leaves

us here

because

we are to

testify

because we

are to be

his witnesses

to the ends

of the earth

and this kind

of opposition

isn't limited

to this time

in biblical

history

the message

of the gospel

is still

hated

with fierceness

in fact

there are some

statistics

that suggest

that more

people have

been killed

for following

Jesus in the

20th century

than in every

century beforehand

combined

persecution

is not slowing

down

and even now

as we meet

here in church

together

we have

brothers and

sisters in

Christ

all over the

world

who are fearing

for their

lives

simply because

they call

Jesus

saviour

simply because

he is their

lord

and Jesus

message to

every one of

them

and his

message to

us

is

I warned

you

this happened

to me

this is the

path that I

trod

and this is

the path

that you are

following

don't be

surprised by

what is

going on

but stand

firm and

testify

Jesus would

say to each

and every

one of us

and every

person who

knows him

you have

tasted the

goodness and

mercy of

God

you have

tasted

forgiveness

you know

hope

you know

salvation

and I have

given you my

holy spirit

so that you

can stand

firm and

testify

that is the

purpose that I

give it

don't underestimate

the significance

of the testimony

of a persecuted

Christian

it's not a

coincidence that

the church has

grown by the

blood of the

martyrs

after Stephen

died in

Acts

the church

exploded with

growth

because a

persecuted

Christian

speaks a

language that

can't be

denied

that man in

the video

spoke a

language that

couldn't be

ignored by

his chief

as he stood

there and

watched his

children die

and continued

to sing of

his love for

Jesus and

his commitment

to his

Lord that

chief saw

something that

he didn't

know as he

watched his

wife die and

this man

continued to

sing of his

commitment to

Jesus a

seed was

planted in

that chief

because this

man knew

something

incredible he

knew some

truth that

this chief

could not

even

comprehend

that he

could stand

there and

say I

love my

kids and

they matter

to me so

much but

Jesus is

better I

love my

wife and

she matters

to me so

much but

Jesus is

better I

love my

life but

Jesus is

better better

than safety

better than

family better

than job better

than popularity

glory for

many Christians

following

Jesus means

saying that

it is better

to know

Jesus as

Lord and

be dead

than to

reject him

and be

alive that

is a

testimony that

can't be

disputed

Jesus never

promises that

his followers

will have an

easy life it

doesn't come

anywhere in the

Bible but

he calls the

disciples and

he calls us

as his followers

now to

testify about

him that's why

he gives us the

spirit who

testifies and

he sends us

out in the

power of that

spirit to

preach the

message of a

risen Savior who

is the only way

to the Father

but he does

say he does

warn us if

you do it

you'll be

persecuted if

you do what

I'm asking you

to do if you

follow the path

that I'm setting

out in front of

you the world

will be

hate you

that is how

it works

but what does

that mean for

us here in

Sydney

as you watch

that video

as you hear

other stories

of people

suffering all

over the world

for their

faith

it's hard to

really understand

we have no

idea what it

would be like

to have a gun

to our face

we have no

idea what it

would be like

to be threatened

with our own

lives just for

following Jesus

so what

does this

mean for

us

should we

be praying

for more

persecution

should we

be asking

God to

send more

gunmen

just so that

we can

testify that

way

no that

would be

stupid

it's not

smart to

pray that

somebody

threatens my

wife's life

just so that

I can talk

about Jesus

but at

very least

on some

level we

have to

ask the

question

why is

the world

so comfortable

with us

why don't

we face

more opposition

why don't

we have

people hate

us

Chris was

reflecting

we were

chatting earlier

in the week

that he

worked through

this passage

with his

small group

and that

trying to

wrestle with

that word

hate was

really difficult

trying to

think of a

time where

we've been

hated for

our faith

is difficult

because the

reality is

I don't

think many

of us

have

and we

have to

ask the

question on

some level

why is

that

maybe for

us

persecution

looks

different

it isn't

guns for

us

it isn't

the threat

of losing

our very

lives

but it's

still there

it's still

there in

the pressure

from the

culture that

we live

in

it's not

a moment

where you

obviously

choose I'm

going to

stand up

and proclaim

Jesus

or I'm

going to

shrink back

and be

quiet and

protect

myself

but maybe

it's those

opportunities

in your

life that

are a bit

more subtle

the times

where you

can choose

to stand

up and

testify to

Jesus

with the

way you

live

or you

can choose

to compromise

with the

way you

live

the

opportunities

you have

as you're

driving

to just

compromise

a little

bit and

just go

with everyone

else 10k's

over the

speed limit

or to

testify that

Jesus is

Lord by

obeying the

law that

is set

there

the

opportunity

you have

to stand

up and

speak about

what you

did on

Sunday

night

or instead

maybe you

just compromise

and don't

really talk

about it

in case

someone might

get angry

or offended

I sometimes

wonder if we

would go

better if

we had

guns to

our heads

if the

choice was

more obvious

about standing

up for

Jesus and

denying him

I wondered

if we

would do

better

but we

don't have

a gun to

our head

we have

what God

has given

us

we have

the blessing

of the

country that

we live

in and

we have

the blessing

of lots

of subtle

opportunities

lots of

day-to-day

choices that

we can make

to testify

that Jesus

is better

the choices

to tell the

truth even

when you know

it's going

to cost you

the choices

to be different

to the people

around you

because you

know it's

what God

wants

the choice

to open

your mouth

and say

Jesus is

the only

way

to heaven

the response

you make

when you

have that

awkward

conversation

when someone

finds out

you're a

Christian

and they

ask you

do you

think I'm

going to

hell

do you

water it

down and

say oh

it's hard

to say

I'm not

really sure

or do you

say well

Jesus is the

only way to

get to heaven

is he your

Lord

the instruction

in this

passage is

testify

the instruction

isn't go

looking for

suffering go

looking for

persecution

that'll

happen

but the

instruction

the command

to the

disciples

and the

command

to us

is be

bold

and be

fearless

you don't

need to

muster up

courage

the spirit

is in you

testifying to

Jesus

Jesus is the

best thing

you've got

all you've got

to do is open

your mouth

and tell people

about him

the forgiveness

you know

the hope

you have

the salvation

that you have

experienced

is better than

anything that

this world has

to offer

and this

passage is just

telling us to

open our mouths

and talk about

it

you don't have to

come up with a

gospel presentation

just tell people

how good Jesus

is and what he's

done for you

just say I am

forgiven because

Jesus died in my

place

that is what this

passage is telling

us to do

to stand up and

testify no matter

what it costs

to be able to

stare not just

death but every

compromise

to stare the

pressure of a

culture in the

face and say I

have decided to

follow Jesus

no turning back

no turning back

because he is

better than

anything

that video we

watched just

earlier is

emotional

we can hear a

story like that

and be devastated

at the cost that

that man had to

pay just to

follow Jesus

and that's

right

but maybe even

more we can be

inspired that he

knew what it was

to be completely

satisfied by his

saviour

that he was able

to sing in the

face of loss that

we can barely

comprehend

sing in the face

of death

because his

treasure could

never be taken

from him

Jesus says

tonight it

costs everything

to follow me

don't try and

avoid the

opposition or the

difficulty it's

inevitable

instead know that

it's coming

be prepared

pray and ask

that God will

give you eyes

to see those

little subtle

opportunities

to testify

pray that he

will give you

boldness

pray that he'll

give you the

words to say

so that you

can stand

firm and

testify

pray that you

will be so

satisfied in

Jesus

so content

so joy

filled

with your

treasured

Jesus

that there is

nothing that

anyone could

possibly try and

offer you

to drag you

away from him

you also

must testify

because you

know that

Jesus is

better

father God

we want to

admit that

so often

we choose

silence

we choose

safety

we choose

the path of

least resistance

when Lord

we know

that that's

not how you

work

we know

that saying

yes to you

means that

we will be

opposed

means that

we will be

hated

father we

ask that you

would so

fill us with

your spirit

and so

satisfy us

in your

son

that we

would not

be able to

help but

talk about

you

no matter

what the

reaction is

no matter

what the

opposition

is

that we

wouldn't

be able

to close

our mouths

because we

are so

overwhelmed

and in

awe of

your love

and your

mercy

and your

goodness

father keep

us from

compromise

empower us

and empower

Christians all

over the

world in

all circumstances

to speak

your truth

so that you

get the

glory

to speak

your truth

so that

others might

be drawn

in to

testify of

your

goodness

father we

thank you

for Jesus

because he

is our

treasure

because he

is the

most valuable

thing

amen

things

you

what

you

you