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Reading John 15:20 where Jesus says again to His disciples that the world will persecute you because they hate Jesus and His Father. Visit wwutt.com for all our videos!
Do not be surprised when the world hates you as a follower of Jesus, for as Jesus said to his disciples, if they persecuted me, they will also persecute you, when we understand the text.
You're listening to When We Understand The Text, committed to sound teaching of the word of God. For questions and comments, email whenweunderstandthetext at gmail .com. And don't forget our website, www .tt .com.
Here's our host, Pastor Gabe.
Thank you, Becky. We are back in our study of John chapter 15. And as with yesterday, I'll begin in verse 18 and read through to the end of the chapter. Jesus said to his disciples, if the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you.
If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own. But because you're not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. 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. So as we talked about yesterday, just because you desire godliness, just because you want to live a life of holiness, the world is going to hate you for that.
The world will not hate you just because you call yourself a Christian. All kinds of people call themselves Christians. The world doesn't hate them for it. Katy Perry calls herself a Christian. Lady Gaga says she's a Christian.
In fact, I recently went through a website of a list of celebrities who say that they're Christian and there was dozens of them and some big, big names as well. I think there were only two names on that list that I was convinced actually are probably Christians and that's Kirk Cameron and Tim Tebow.
I think it was the only two names on that list that I thought, yeah, those guys are Christians. Everybody else would say that they're a Christian, but they probably endorse just radically sinful lifestyle, whether it would be endorsing abortion or endorsing the LGBTQ movement or any of these other things.
They'll say they're a Christian and the world will let them call themselves that as long as they're willing to put themselves behind the sinful debauchery and lawlessness that the rest of the world is partaking in.
You can call yourself whatever you want. When you put action behind it, that's when the world gets upset. Not that you would simply call yourself a Christian, but that you would define it. Here's what being a Christian means.
Let me go back to Lady Gaga since I already mentioned her name and I made a what video about her earlier this year. That's an example that I can draw upon pretty quickly. Lady Gaga in a concert that she did several months back, stopped in the middle of her set and ripped on Vice President Mike Pence because his wife worked at a Christian school where a student could not go there if he identified as LGBTQ, nor could a teacher teach there if they were willing to put themselves behind that movement.
And of course, because this is a private institution, this is a Christian school. They're abiding by Christian principles, so you can't come in here with all of this liberal rhetoric. Well, that made headline news, the fact that Mike Pence's wife worked at such a school.
And so Lady Gaga made a point in one of her concerts to stop and rip on Mike Pence. And she said, I am a Christian woman. And she actually defined that as meaning that, I mean, basically you have to endorse the LGBTQ movement.
If you don't, then you can't be a Christian. So Lady Gaga defines Christianity that way. And her whole audience just applauded her for it, thought she was great. When somebody says Christianity means lovingly opposing behavior that would lead to judgment, telling a person this is sin and God will judge you for it.
And you must repent and follow Jesus, turn from your sin, pursue holiness, hate the garment that is stained by sin, desire the righteous robes of Christ. When you start saying those kinds of things, that's when the world is going to hate you for that.
You will not go along with them in their flood of debauchery and they will malign you. As we looked at from first Peter yesterday, just because you won't, you won't go with what it is that they're doing.
They're going to hate you for that. You think back to the book of Genesis, Lot, the fact that he would not join the sodomites in their wicked, sinful behavior and the sodomites made fun of him for that because he had been among them and would not partake in their sinfulness.
And so they saw him as an outsider and hated him. Of everybody in the city, Lot was most hated. But God showed mercy to him and sent angels into the city to draw Lot out before God rained down fire and brimstone on the wickedness that had seized the hearts of Sodom and Gomorrah.
They had become so wicked they were, they became the objects of God's wrath and they serve as an example to us even now, as Jude points out, that because of their sinful wickedness, their sexual immorality, they serve as an example to the rest of us by undergoing a punishment by fire.
And this is going to be the case for everyone who does not turn from their sin, that when they face the judgment seat of God, they will be cast from him into the lake of fire that had been prepared for the devil and his angels.
And so we must lovingly tell a person that they're in sin that God has promised he will judge so they won't continue in that anymore. They will repent. They will hear the gospel of Jesus Christ. They will believe in him and they will live.
And this is how we must engage the world lovingly. Okay. Because again, as Peter says in first Peter three 15, that we give an answer for the hope that lies within us with gentleness and respect. And Paul saying to Timothy and second Timothy two 25, that the Lord's servant must not be quarrelsome, but kind to everyone, correcting opponents with gentleness.
It is God who grants repentance. So this is the way that we are to interact with the world lovingly in patient opposition, saying this behavior will lead to your destruction, repent and believe in the Lord Jesus Christ.
And just for doing that, the world is going to hate us. The world has been hating this ever since Cain and Abel, Abel was a righteous man and he did what was favorable to the Lord. It wasn't just that Abel called himself a God worshiper, Cain even called himself a God worshiper and he even gave sacrifices to God just like Abel gave sacrifices to God.
But Abel gave of his best and Cain gave his leftovers. And so God showed favor to Abel and did not extend the same blessing to Cain. And so Cain became jealous of Abel and rose up against him and killed him.
And prior to this, the Lord even warned him and said to him that sin is crouching at your door and its desire is for you, but you must master it. That is a fair warning to any single one of us. Whenever we are tempted to sin, it is crouching at the door.
It wants to have you. It is an enemy that wants to seize us, but we must master over the sinful desires of our flesh. And James tells us how in James four, we draw near to God and the devil will flee from us.
In Hebrews chapter 11, verse four, it says, by faith, Abel offered to God a more acceptable sacrifice than Cain, through which he was commended as righteous. God commending him by accepting his gifts and through his faith, though he died, he still speaks.
Cain hated Abel because Abel pursued godliness and rose up and killed him. And Cain serves as an example of the way the world is going to hate us because we desire the righteous thing. In first John three, verse 11, for this is the message that you have heard from the beginning that we should love one another.
We should not be like Cain, who was of the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his own deeds were evil and his brothers were righteous. Do not be surprised, brothers, that the world hates you.
We know that we have passed out of death into life because we love the brothers. Whoever does not love abides in death. Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him.
Note once again where John says, why did Cain murder Abel? Because Cain's own deeds were evil and his brothers were righteous. That's why the world will hate you. Not because you call yourself a Christian, but because you're actually pursuing righteousness.
You want to do what is favorable to God. In Galatians 1 10, the apostle Paul said to the churches in Galatia, for am I now seeking the approval of man or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ.
The world is going to hate you and you must not buckle under that intimidation. You must not decide when the world starts throwing ridicule at you because of the things that you believe and the holiness that you are pursuing.
You must not in your mind resolve to change something about your faith to soften it. So that way, maybe the world won't hate me as much because what is happening in your heart when you start to do that, you're going to redefine your Christianity in such a way that it's more palatable to the rest of the world.
What happens when you do that is you're now trying to please man instead of pleasing God. Just starting to tweak it a little bit already sets you in the direction of pleasing man rather than desiring to please God.
And you no longer love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind and with all your strength. This means that in our pursuit of godliness, the world is going to be disgusted with us, but it's not about pleasing the world.
It's about living unto the Lord. Now in our pursuit of godliness, we must not be jerks about it. I mean, if you're acting like a jerk toward people in the world, well, can you really be growing in godliness?
This is why we are told to patiently endure evil. This is why we are told to correct opponents with gentleness. This is why we are told to, in our hearts, set apart Christ as holy, giving an answer for the hope that lies within us and doing it with gentleness and respect.
Further in first Peter chapter four, verse 12, I believe I read this yesterday. I'm going to keep going. Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you as though something strange were happening to you.
But rejoice in so far as you share Christ's sufferings that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed. If you are insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed because the spirit of glory and of God rests upon you.
But let none of you suffer as a murderer or a thief or an evildoer or as a meddler. If anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in that name. So note where Peter says not to sin in such a way that you become a murderer or a thief or an evildoer or as a meddler.
Okay. He starts with kind of like the most extreme sin and kind of comes down. But the point that he's making here is that if we act like jerks, the world will hate us because of our behavior, not because of the gospel that we proclaimed.
And then the gospel is maligned. Otherwise, there are people who will see that the world is mistreating us just because we preach the gospel and they're going to go, well, wait, I see these people as being the unreasonable ones.
The Christians are the ones who are loving and civil and preaching this gospel. So I want to hear what they have to say. But if we get branded as jerks and dismissed for our behavior, then we're not going to be able to continue to proclaim that message.
It's going to affect the avenues that we have to be able to reach out to people and share the gospel. This is why when Peter says in 1 Peter 3 15, to be prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for the reason for the hope that is in you, yet do it with gentleness and respect.
He goes on to say in verse 16, having a good conscience so that when you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame. So, again, there are going to be those who are going to hate us for the message that we preach, but if we're consistent in speech and in action and we're loving and we're patient and we don't act like jerks and we get dismissed for our behavior, then there are others who are going to see that witness and they're going to realize, well, the world is mistreating you for this gospel that you're proclaiming.
I see you showing love. So I want to hear what it is that you have to say. This is how we are to respond. Because Jesus himself, though he was reviled, did not revile back. He continued to entrust himself to him who judges justly.
But everyone who mistreats us is going to have to give an account before God. Jesus said that we are to love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us. And in Romans chapter 12, it says that we are not to take vengeance into our own hands, but we are to show love and kindness to our neighbor.
And God is the one who will have vengeance ultimately in the end. So let this be our behavior before the world as we've been sent out as sheep amidst the wolves that we are to encounter, engage the world with Christ likeness, gentleness and respect, patience, correcting with gentleness.
If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own, but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.
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. So why is it that we face such ridicule for the faith that we have?
It's because the Bible says that we will. And once again, Peter saying, don't be surprised at the fiery trial that comes upon you. We are blessed by God when we share in the sufferings that Jesus himself endured.
At the very end of the Beatitudes in Matthew five and the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said, blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Let me point that out again.
Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness sake. Yes, we proclaim ourselves as Christians. Yes, we say we're followers of Jesus. But even more particular than that, we are pursuing righteousness.
We're desiring to live in Christ likeness, and we're going to be persecuted for that very thing. Not because we said we are Christian, but because we actually wanted to be like Jesus. Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Verse 11. Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad for your reward is great in heaven. For so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
We're not only sharing in the sufferings of Christ, but we're sharing in the sufferings of those who have gone before us. Outlined in Hebrews 11, which I read from earlier, Abel being that first one, Abel being persecuted because he was pursuing righteousness.
And so we must not be surprised when those things come upon us, but we must remain steadfast and sure in the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints. How can you know when the day of persecution comes that you are going to stand fast on the word of Christ?
Well, very simply, you have to be in the word. You have to read the word. You have to love this word and have it written on your hearts. Be as frontlets between your eyes and on the doorpost of your home.
So whether you go in or out, you are reminded of the word of God constantly. It is written upon your heart. It guides your every steps. The more you know God's word and the more you let it get into you, the word of God abiding in your heart, the more ready and prepared you are for that day.
When a person comes with ridicule, you will also have all the equipment that you need to be able to respond to those who bring some kind of insult against you. You will know how to respond to the critic, to the skeptic.
When you know the word of God, you've applied it to memory and it is in your heart. And when temptation comes, you will know what the Bible has said about these works of your flesh that you may guard yourself against them.
This is why David said in Psalm 119, how I love your law. It is my meditation all the day because it is the word of God that sets straight our path. We know which way to go. We know how to please God.
We know what the sin looks like that we're supposed to avoid. We know what righteousness looks like and how God defines love and all of these things according to his word. And it is by his word that we are sanctified and conditioned to live a life of godliness in such a way that even when the world comes at us and ridicules us for our faith, we won't respond like a jerk.
We won't act like the world reacts, but we have our confidence in Christ and the world cannot shake us from that. Our confidence is in Christ and his word. Stand firm on this cling to Christ and he will deliver you.
He is faithful to you. He is with you even now. Call upon the Lord and he will answer you. Ask for wisdom and he will grant it to you. As Jesus says to his disciples, even here in John 15, whatever you ask the father in my name, he will give it to you.
These things I command you so that you will love one another. Let us pray. Our heavenly father, we thank you for the word that we've received today. And I pray that this would be our source of strength, our confidence, our steadfastness, the thing that lifts us up in the day of trouble, protects us from the enemy, gives us comfort and a hope and a peace.
It's all here in the word of Christ. So may we love this word. We not just hear it with our physical ears, but even with our spiritual heart, that it would be written upon our hearts and we would walk by it and meditate upon it and be shaped more and more into the image of Christ because we obeyed his word.
Give us a courage and a steadfastness when the world ridicules us that we may know how to answer our opponents with our speech seasoned with salt and always gracious and help us also to not shrink back whenever we get ridiculed.
But it just makes us cling to Christ all the more and look forward to that day when we will be delivered out of this world into your kingdom. Let us not be tempted to give into our flesh and act like the world acts.
Whenever they ridicule us, we don't ridicule back, but we entrust ourselves to him who judges justly, our father in heaven. In the name of Jesus we pray, amen.
You've been listening to When We Understand the Text with Pastor Gabe Hughes. Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, Gabe will be going through a New Testament study. Then on Thursday, we look at an Old Testament book.
On Friday, we take questions from the listeners and viewers. Tomorrow, we'll pick up on an Old Testament study, When We Understand the Text.