The World's Hatred and the Spirit's Witness

Good morning, church.

It's good to see you all.

If you're on the live stream, we're glad you joined as well.

Our sermon text today starts in John chapter 15, verse 18.

John 15:18

And we'll go up to the first half of verse 4 in chapter 16.

If you're here in the sanctuary, that's page 848 in the Pew Bible.

You can follow along there.

Today's text is actually a good reminder that the chapter and verse divisions of our Bibles

were added much later to the text.

And sometimes that means the chapter breaks don't always capture the units of thought perfectly.

So that's why we're kind of looking at the end of 15 and the beginning of John 16.

Well, let me pray for us, and then I'll read.

Let's pray together.

Our Father in heaven, as we have just sung, we humble ourselves before you, and we wait on you.

God, we wait on you because we know that in our own strength and in our own wisdom,

God, we can truly do nothing apart from you.

So we ask for your spirit to come and to illuminate your word once again,

as you have done throughout the ages,

that you would be moving and speaking to us through the passage we read

and through the words that I share.

God, raise us up, we pray, and strengthen us for the mission that you have for us to glorify you and your Son.

Pray this in Jesus' name and in the power of the Spirit.

Amen.

All right, so remember, these are the words of Jesus to the apostles on the night before he was arrested

in the midst of what we call the farewell discourse.

So, John chapter 15, verse 18.

John 15:18

Jesus says,

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 not have 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.

I've said all these things to you to keep you from falling away.

They will put you out of the synagogues.

Indeed, the hour is coming when whoever kills you

will think he's offering a service to God.

And they will do these things,

because they have not known the Father,

nor me.

But I have said these things to you,

that when their hour comes,

you may remember that I told them to you.

Well, so not long ago,

there was a popular book series

called The Worst Case Scenario Survival Handbook.

Do you remember those books?

The idea of this series was that

they would describe just terrible events.

Earthquakes, shark attacks, alien invasions.

And the book would offer sort of illustrated instructions

on how to survive that worst case scenario.

So for example, they made a parenting edition.

And one of the chapters was

how to deal with a screaming baby on an airplane,

which kind of feels like a worst case scenario,

sometimes for parents.

And here are the instructions.

First, make highly visible efforts to quiet your child.

Two, create confusion and distraction.

Three, do not panic if your child will still not calm down.

Four, use the laboratory.

Five, bribe fellow passengers for forgiveness.

Six, and last, remember and remind yourself

that you will never see these people again.

But on a serious note,

in the life of faith,

as followers of Jesus,

what is the worst case scenario?

When things get hard,

when opposition comes,

what's the worst thing that can happen?

Near the end of our passage,

Jesus says,

I've said all these things to you

to keep you from falling away.

According to Jesus,

the worst case scenario for his followers

in trial, in hardship,

isn't a loss of reputation.

The worst case scenario

isn't ridicule or rejection.

The worst case scenario

isn't even death.

The worst case scenario

for Jesus for us

is falling away.

That is,

departing the faith,

no longer holding to Jesus as Lord,

walking away

from the only

source of eternal life.

The worst case scenario

is falling away.

Now remember,

in this part of John's gospel,

Jesus is preparing the disciples

for his upcoming departure

through the cross

and for their upcoming mission

through the Holy Spirit.

And in the first half of John 15,

that mission is described

as bearing fruit in love

by abiding in Jesus.

This kingdom community

rooted and connected

to Jesus,

the true vine,

will be a community

of missional love,

drawing men and women

into a relationship

with God in Christ.

But the question arises,

how will the world

respond to this community?

How will the world

respond to this community

that abides in Jesus

as the true vine,

that holds to him

as the only

and true source of life,

as the only and true God?

Well, Jesus is clear.

As the mission goes forth,

there will be opposition.

And when faced

with that opposition,

we will face

the worst case scenario.

We will be tempted

to fall away.

So Jesus tells us

three things

in this passage

so that we might not

fall away

when opposition comes.

As our loving shepherd,

he prepares the apostles

and us

to stand firm

to not fall away

when opposition comes.

And the three things

that Jesus tells us here

are this.

He says,

first,

the world's hatred

is inevitable.

But second,

the Spirit's ministry

among you

is countercultural.

And then third,

he says,

my word,

the word of Jesus

is reliable.

So we're going to look

at those three things.

So first,

Jesus says to the apostles

and to us,

don't fall away.

The world's hatred

is inevitable.

Now we see this

in verses 18 through 25.

Now in any relationship,

it's important

to have the right

expectations, right?

When you're preparing

to take a new job,

it's good to clarify

the expectations

with your employer

to talk through

your job description

to get on the same page.

When you're preparing

for marriage,

it's really good

to clarify your expectations

with your future spouse.

And some of these,

you don't even realize

you have

until conflicts come, right?

Well, I thought you

were going to do the dishes.

Well, I thought you

were going to pick up the kids.

Oh, I thought we'd always

live in the city.

But in the same way,

as followers of Jesus

on mission,

we have to get

clear expectations

on our relationship

with the world.

Now what does Jesus mean

by the world

here in John's Gospel?

Well, the world

doesn't mean

the sort of whole

created order,

what we would call

the natural world.

Rather, the world

in John's Gospel

is a somewhat

technical term

referring to human society,

human culture,

running and operating

without any reference

to the true God.

The world

in John's Gospel

is the human world

in rebellion

to its true God.

Human culture

and society

arranged and lived

according to the idols

of its own choosing.

Now,

what should the church

expect

in its relationship

to the world?

Well, at one point,

Jesus says to his followers

in Matthew chapter 5,

Matthew 5 · chapter mention

for example,

that you're going to be

salt and light

in the world

and people will see

your good deeds

and glorify

your Father in heaven.

So on the one hand,

if the church

is truly being the church,

there will be times

when the culture

that we find ourselves in

will have to admit

that there's something

there to admire.

After all,

Jesus just said

in John chapter 13,

John 13 · chapter mention

by this,

all people will know

you are my disciples

if you love one another.

So in every culture,

there'll be some things

about the church

that are admired.

But Jesus makes it

crystal clear here

that that can't be

our only expectation.

At the same time,

Jesus says,

the world's also

going to hate you.

Verse 18 begins by saying,

if the world hates you.

Now,

that sounds somewhat

conditional, right?

Sometimes we'll be hated,

sometimes not.

But then at the end

of the very next verse,

we realize that what

Jesus is saying

isn't that the world's

hatred is conditional,

it's actually inevitable.

Therefore,

verse 19 says,

the world hates you.

And as Jesus says here,

we will be hated

in the same ways

that Jesus was hated

by the world.

A servant is not

above his master.

Jesus was misunderstood

during his ministry.

And so at times

will we be as a church.

Jesus was called crazy

and out of his mind

more than once.

So at times will we be

as we faithfully

follow Jesus.

Jesus was rejected

and ridiculed

by his family,

his neighbors,

his friends.

And so at times

will we be.

Jesus was called

an enemy of the people,

bad for society.

So at times

has and will the church.

Jesus was falsely accused,

falsely condemned.

He was physically beaten,

tortured,

and shamefully executed.

The world hated Jesus

in all these ways.

And so the world

will hate his followers.

in all those ways.

Even today,

there are Christians

being put to death

for their faithful allegiance

to Jesus.

And whereas you or I

may not face persecution

like that,

our brothers and sisters

in many parts of the world

are.

And we must be praying

for them.

But what Jesus is saying here

doesn't just apply

to our brothers and sisters

in other parts of the world,

but it applies to us too.

Don't be surprised

if the world,

yes,

hates you,

rejects you,

ridicules you,

misunderstands you,

excludes you,

penalizes you,

ignores you,

even condemns you.

The world's hatred

is inevitable.

But why?

Why is it inevitable?

Well, Jesus answers

that question too.

And the answer

has two parts.

On the one hand,

the world will hate us

because we don't belong

to the world anymore.

Look at verse 19.

Jesus says,

Friends,

what does it mean

to be the church?

It means to experience

the free grace

of Jesus' choosing love,

setting his love on you,

freeing you from sin,

bringing you into

a whole new kingdom

where he is king.

Being the church

means being a new

community of love

right in the midst

of the old.

And that means

we're not of

the world anymore.

We don't march

to the same drummer,

we don't bow

to the same idols,

we don't live

for the same goals,

and in doing so,

we're salt and light

to the world,

as Jesus says.

But,

it's a bit like

a heart transplant.

You know,

when a surgeon performs

a heart transplant,

this whole new organ

is being placed

into the body's system,

right?

And that organ

is being put

into that system

to bring life

and health

and to keep

the thing going.

But the reality is

that the old system

doesn't always accept

the new heart.

Sometimes the body

will turn against

the new organ

and reject it

and attack it

as different and alien.

And it's the same way

with the church

and the world.

The church is a whole

new thing

in the middle of the world

to bring life

to the world,

but it's not of the world,

and the world

constantly rejects it.

We live for a different king

and a different kingdom.

But now,

here's the really surprising thing

about what Jesus

is saying here.

When you think of

the world,

society arranged

without reference

to the true God,

who or what

comes to mind for you?

Now,

it's initially easy

to sort of think about,

well,

you know,

it's those people

who just reject God

altogether.

It's the really obvious,

openly godless folks

out there,

like I used to be.

But consider,

look at chapter 16,

verse 2,

where Jesus says

about the world,

they will put you

out of the synagogues.

Indeed,

the hour is coming

when whoever kills you

will think he's offering

service to God.

So you see,

it's not just

openly irreligious people

who constitute the world.

it can also be

really,

really religious people too.

The ones in the synagogues

who think they're offering

a service to God.

You see,

what this means,

friends,

is that the world

can sometimes wear

a mask of relativism,

but the world

can also wear

a mask of conservatism

as well.

And our king

tells us to live lives

that challenge the world

in all of its forms.

After all,

as followers of Jesus,

we care about the oppressed

and the poor

and the fatherless

and the widow.

We care about injustice

and oppression

and wrong,

but that doesn't make

Christians quote-unquote

progressives,

as the world likes to say.

We also care about

the unborn

and family

and marriage

and religious liberty,

but that doesn't make

Christians conservatives,

as our culture likes to say.

Following King Jesus

means that we won't

fit easily

into any of the world's molds.

And that means

Christians will be

disliked

and even hated

at times

by so-called

progressives

and conservatives.

After all,

the Roman establishment

and the Jewish

religious establishment

both had their reasons

for wanting Jesus

out of the way.

And it will be

the same for us too.

We are not

of the world

in any of its forms.

The world rejects Jesus,

so it will at times

reject us too.

But a little deeper,

why does the world

reject Jesus?

Well, that's what

verses 21 through 25

are all about.

Look at verse 21,

but all these things

they will do to you

on account of my name,

because they do not

know him who sent me.

Jesus says here

that his words,

in verse 22,

and his works,

in verse 24,

gave abundant evidence

of his divine identity

and his saving power.

His words and his works

gave so much evidence

that now

there's no excuse.

No one can plead ignorance.

That's what Jesus means

when he says,

if I hadn't done these things,

they would not be guilty of sin.

That's a way of saying

they now have

all the evidence they need,

and yet they still reject it.

Why?

Well, Jesus says,

because they're blind

to the reality

of the true God.

So much so that,

like David said in Psalm 69,

so Jesus can say,

they hated me

without a cause.

The world rejects Jesus

and then rejects

the followers of Jesus

not because of some kind of fault

or lack of evidence in Christ,

but because they're blinded

and trapped by sin's power,

just like all of us were

before God's grace came to us.

Now, sin, you see,

at its deepest level

isn't just sort of

particular actions

that break God's law.

Sometimes I like to think about sin

as sort of this giant,

false narrative

that captures our minds

and imaginations.

It's this giant,

false narrative

that says,

your happiness is found

by putting yourself

in the center of your story

or by putting your family

in the center of your story

or by putting your nation

in the center of your story.

Sin is like this giant,

false narrative

that tells us

life should be lived

for anything other

than the glory

of the triune God,

and it shapes everything

we think and see

and love and do.

And we buy into

that false narrative

so deeply

that our eyes are closed

to the reality of God

and the reality of Christ.

And that's why

the world's hatred

is so inevitable,

because sin's power

has been rampant

in our world.

The world's hatred

is inevitable,

and Jesus tells us this,

so we might not fall away.

So, fellow Christian,

let me ask,

what are your expectations?

Now, it is very natural

to want to be liked,

to want to have a good report

with those around us.

And praise God,

many of us do.

But as a follower of Jesus,

do you expect the world

around you

to always like you,

to always approve of you,

to always affirm you?

If so,

then you are in

for a rude awakening.

Like a foolish employee

who never read

the job description,

or the foolish husband

who never talked

to his wife

about what sort of life

they wanted to live together.

If we as Christians

always expect

the world around us

to like us,

we are headed

for a painful surprise.

So, brothers and sisters,

don't set your heart,

your trust,

on the approval

of the world.

If you're being true

to Jesus,

then you'll never

always get it.

But here's the good news.

If you're being true

to Jesus,

then you won't ever

really need it.

Because what does

the gospel say?

The gospel says

that even if

the entire world

were to rise up

in hatred against you,

you have

the only approval

that really matters.

The God

who made you

and who made

everything that we see.

The God

whose glory

can satisfy

your soul forever.

The God

who is so

unbelievably holy

that his presence

would melt

the earth.

The God

who is so

unbelievably loving

that his presence

would melt

even the hardest heart.

That God,

the triune God

known in Jesus,

that God

in the gospel

has set

his favor on you.

Even though

you and I

have rejected him.

Even though you and I

have lived without

any reference to him.

Even though we've

bought in

to the giant false narrative

that life can be lived

for something other than God.

Even so,

God

has let

his full

hatred

of human sin

and evil

and injustice,

including your and my sin

and evil and injustice,

God has let

his full

hatred of sin

fall

on his own

person

in our place.

God took on

our human nature

in Jesus

to bear

the just

hatred of our sin

so that

all who

turn from sin

and trust in Christ

might have

full favor

with God

completely free

of charge.

And that means

if we've placed

our trust in Jesus,

if we become

his follower,

if we've joined

his family,

if we become

a part of the church,

then we don't need

the world's approval.

Because we have

an approval

that nothing

can compare to.

I mean,

think about it.

If you're at work

this summer

and the summer

intern

comes to you

and says,

man,

well done.

It's great to have you

around here.

You will think to yourself,

well,

that's nice.

But their opinion

doesn't really matter

all that much,

does it?

I mean,

by the end of the summer,

the summer intern

isn't even going to be

around anymore.

Who cares what they think?

It's nice to be liked,

but...

But,

if the founder

of the company

comes to your office

after a big presentation

and says,

well done.

It's good to have you

on the team.

Well,

that means something,

doesn't it?

But friends,

consider,

in Christ,

we have an approval

infinitely greater.

It's so great

that nothing in this world

can shake it.

The CEO

of the universe

has called you

into his office

and said,

well done.

It's good to have you here.

So even though

the world's hatred

is inevitable,

friends,

don't fall away.

That's Jesus'

first point.

But I think that raises

a natural question,

right?

How should we respond

to the world's hatred?

If we expect it

as inevitable

and if we don't fall away,

how should we respond?

How should we react?

Now,

if we're honest,

I think too often

in those moments,

it's like

our fight

or flight

response kicks in.

When the world hates us,

we either return the favor

and hate them back,

we fight,

or

when the world hates us,

we just withdraw

and we quietly go away.

That's flight.

But you know,

neither response

is what Jesus calls us to.

And this brings us

to our second big point

of the passage.

The world's hatred

is inevitable,

yes,

but Jesus says to us,

the Spirit's ministry

in us

is counter-cultural.

Look again at verses

26 through 27.

Jesus says,

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've been with me

from the beginning.

So you see,

in the face of opposition,

we can respond

with neither fight

nor flight.

Rather,

the Spirit empowers us

to do something

very counter-cultural

and very different.

He empowers us

to bear witness.

We don't return

evil for evil.

We don't retreat

into the safety

of a holy huddle.

No,

we bear witness

to Christ.

Now,

what does it mean

to bear witness?

Well,

it's kind of like

giving a testimony

in a court case.

Jesus is speaking

to the apostles

here in John 15.

And as he says,

they've been with him

from the beginning.

So now,

as they enter out

into the courtroom

of the world,

they can give

their eyewitness testimony

to all that Jesus is

and all that Jesus has done.

But you know,

in a derivative way,

in a related way,

today,

we as followers of Jesus

still bear witness.

We stand on the eyewitness testimony

of the apostles.

We are empowered

by the same Holy Spirit.

And we have our own

first-hand experience

to share

of the saving love of Christ.

And so we can speak

about who Jesus is

and what he's done.

Now,

as the church,

I think we need to pray

to become more adept

at turning

cultural conversations

into witness-bearing

gospel conversations.

Too often,

we get mired

in sort of the cultural issues

of the day

without really

bearing witness.

Now,

how do we do that?

Well,

let me just offer

some simple suggestions.

I think witness-bearing

in this way

requires

that we pray,

that we ask,

that we listen,

and that we speak.

So first,

we pray.

We pray that the Holy Spirit

will be at work

in us and through us

and in and through

those around us

to whom the Lord

has sent us.

In a couple weeks,

we're going to dive more

into the ministry

of the Holy Spirit's

work in the world

in the rest of John chapter 16.

John 16 · chapter mention

So we'll get more into that.

But first,

we have to be praying.

And then second,

we ask.

Too often,

as Christians,

we're just talking.

But we need to ask.

Ask open-ended questions

to the people

that God has put in your life.

Show genuine interest in them.

What are they into?

What motivates them?

What are they afraid of?

What are they hoping for in life?

Ask.

Get to know them.

And then,

we listen.

Don't be quick to speak.

Be quick to listen.

And then,

don't be afraid to ask

another question.

We're really bad at this

culturally, right?

Oftentimes,

we ask a question

only to sort of

buy us enough time

to figure out

what we can say,

right?

But no, friends.

Ask and listen.

And then listen

listen some more.

Really hear

the people around you.

It's such a profound way

to actually love someone,

to actually listen to them.

But after we've prayed

and asked

and listened

and listened some more,

finally,

we speak.

And don't be afraid

in your speaking,

friends,

to start

at square one

of the gospel.

that there's a God

who created us

and who loves us.

And all our life

is meant to be lived

in fellowship with him.

And that's what flourishing

really means.

But none of us

have lived that way.

And there's a great chasm

that's opened up

between us and God.

We've turned away from him

and we try to live

our own way.

And that's what the Bible

calls sin.

And that sin

has resulted in death.

But rather than

leave us there,

God has made a way

to forgive our sin

and reconcile us

to himself

through his son.

And Jesus

lived a perfect life

and died the death

that we deserve

so we could be reconciled

to God on the basis

of what he did

and not on the basis

of what we do.

So then now

when we admit

that we're sinners

and we trust in Jesus

alone to rescue us,

we're given a whole new

status and fellowship

with God

and we're given

a whole new power

by his spirit

to love God

and love each other.

So in life,

we follow Jesus

as our Lord,

gladly conforming

all of our life

to him,

because he made us

and because he knows

what's best for us.

And after all,

if he died for us,

then surely he loves us.

Now here's the thing.

You're never going

to be able to have

that conversation

with everybody

you interact with,

right?

But you can have

parts of that conversation.

You can start

at square one

and just start

sowing seeds.

Witness bearing

isn't easy.

It's easier to kick

into fight or flight,

right?

But listen to what

Paul says in Romans 12.

Paul says,

bless those who

persecute you.

Bless and do not

curse them.

Repay no one evil

for evil,

but give thought

to do what is honorable

in the sight of all.

If possible,

so far as depends on you,

live peaceably with all.

Beloved,

never avenge yourselves,

but leave it to the wrath

of God,

for it is written,

vengeance is mine,

I will repay,

says the Lord.

To the contrary,

if your enemy is hungry,

feed him.

If he's thirsty,

give him something

to drink,

for by so doing,

you'll eat burning coals

on his head.

Do not be overcome

by evil,

but overcome evil

with good.

And Jesus promises us

that the Holy Spirit

will be with us,

empowering us

for this countercultural work.

But lastly,

Jesus tells us

not just that the world's

hatred is inevitable,

not just that the Spirit's

ministry among us

is countercultural,

but finally,

that his word

is reliable.

Our sermon text

ends with Jesus

saying this,

but I've said

these things to you

that when their hour

comes,

you may remember

that I told them

to you.

But what difference

does that make?

You know,

we can see how having

the right expectations

about the world,

that's easy to see

how that helps us

not now fall away,

knowing how to respond

through the Spirit's

witness-bearing ministry

that helps us not

to fall into fight

or flight.

But how does Jesus

telling us all this

beforehand help us

not fall away

when the opposition comes?

Well,

what Jesus is showing us here

is that no matter

what the world

throws at us,

no matter how painful

the opposition gets,

no matter how costly

it becomes

to follow Jesus,

no matter what comes,

Jesus is still

the King.

His word

is still sovereign.

His plan

is still going forth.

Not even the world's

hatred

can thwart

the sovereign,

gracious plan

of King Jesus

for the Kingdom

to come

and for His will

to be done

on earth

as it is in heaven.

Remember,

when opposition comes,

this is exactly

what He said

would happen.

At the end of John 16,

Jesus will say,

in the world

you will have tribulation,

but take heart,

I have overcome

the world.

You know,

when Jesus went

to the cross,

it looked like defeat,

didn't it?

It looked like

the world had won.

It looked like

the grand

false narrative

of sin

just might be true

after all.

But when Christ

rose from the grave

on Sunday morning,

it all became clear.

the cross wasn't

our Lord's

greatest defeat.

It was His

greatest victory.

He had overcome

the world.

He had swallowed up

all the evil,

pain, and death.

He had taken the worst

the world had to give.

And in return,

He gave us life.

And if we join Him

in His suffering,

we will join Him

in His glory.

Remember again,

the words of the

Apostle Paul

in Romans 8,

for I consider,

he says,

that the sufferings

of this present time

are not worth

comparing with the glory

that is to be revealed

to us.

Jesus' word,

friends,

is reliable.

That word,

above all

earthly powers,

no thanks to them

abideth.

The Spirit

and the gifts

are ours

through Him

who with us

sideth.

let goods

and kindred go.

This mortal life

also,

the body

they may kill.

God's truth

abides still.

His kingdom

is forever.

Amen.

You see,

the world's hatred

isn't the worst thing

that can happen to you,

friends.

Losing worldly goods

and wealth,

that's not the worst

case scenario.

Losing kindred,

friends,

and family,

losing even your life,

it isn't the worst

case scenario.

Having God

in Christ,

never losing Him,

that's all that

really matters

because His kingdom

is forever.

And Jesus

has said these things

to us

to keep us

from falling away.

The world may hate us,

but the Spirit

will empower us,

and the Word of Christ

will sustain us

as we go out

on this mission

of love

that He sent us on.

Let's pray together.

Lord Jesus,

we pray for a fresh

filling of Your Spirit

this morning.

Lord,

too often

we are tempted

to just retreat

when You call us

to advance.

Lord,

too often

we are tempted

to wage war

with worldly weapons

and to become

like our old selves

again.

So, Lord,

we need You

and we need Your Spirit

to empower us

to be gracious,

to be bold,

to bear witness,

and to hold fast.

Jesus,

thank You

that You complete

the good work

that You start

and we can rely on You.

We pray this in Your name.

Amen.