Why The World Hates Christians (video) — David Wilkerson

The World's Hatred and Jesus' Promise of Persecution

Subject this morning. Why the world hates Christians. Why you don't understand you're hated? You understand you're gonna be persecuted. That's what Jesus said. We'll talk about it this morning. Thank you father for your word, and I pray you anoint me this morning Lord, I thank you that you put this in my heart for my own Welfare, but more than that for the body of Christ, and I pray for an unction from the Holy Spirit God let us hear what the Spirit has to say in Jesus name.

Amen go to John 15 please the 15th chapter of John. Let's start verse 16. You've not chosen me. But I've chosen you and ordained you that you should go and bring forth fruit and that your fruit should remain.

That whatsoever you shall ask of the Father in my name. He will give it to you these things. I command you that you love one another if the world hates you. You know it hated me before it hated you. If you were of the world the world would love his own.

But because you're not of the world, but I've chosen you out of the world. Therefore or for this reason the world hated you. Remember the word that I said to you the servants not greater than his Lord if they have persecuted me.

They will also persecute you if they have kept my sayings. They will keep yours also, but all these things will they do unto you for my name's sake. Because they know not him that sent me. Now here's what Jesus said in the Commission to all of us.

I've chosen you Ordained you to go and bring forth fruit and not only that but he added these words and that your fruit should remain. In other words that you would have lasting fruit fruit that would withstand the judgment day.

When we're all called to an account before the throne of Christ. Now the Bible when it says I sent you forth to bear fruit I take that to mean the work in the ministry of Christ doing his work. We're all called to evangelize.

We're all called to preach Christ as a minister. I am called to make disciples and train them and cause them to grow in Christ. I can present a chaste bride just as Paul said to Jesus Christ. But this is such a thing as a false conversion.

False Conversion and the Danger of Superficial Discipleship

You know that There are people who are called converts who are reading not converts. Jesus warned the Pharisees Woe unto you scribes Pharisees hypocrites you compass see and land to make one proselyte and when he's made.

You make him twofold more the child of hell than yourself. In other words, he said you've gone out and you have made what you consider. Convert you you've got some kind of confession from them. You've got him to attend your church and He looks right.

He says the right words, but you don't understand because you don't have an experience yourself. That what you teach and what you preach has never had an effect an impact to change your life. And you're just giving doctrine you're giving theology and you have impure motives because you devour widows housing.

You're cheating widows. You're doing things in your life there to dishonest and your motives are not right and yet you're going out winning converts. But he Jesus said in the process though. They sit in your synagogues in your churches, and even though you call them converts and you add them to your numbers.

You have made them a twofold child of hell. In other words, they were going to hell before you talk to him. But now they're twice as damned as they were than when you talk to them now, those are strong words, but they come from Christ himself.

Jesus cried Hypocrisy you make them twofold more a child of hell, but you shall receive the greater damnation. Gonna be many many ministers stand before the Lord receive the greater damnation and all the drug addicts of the world put together because they.

Considering they have called people converts and I won't get into this. Making it is possible for a minister the gospel. It is possible those who evangelize to make people twice fold the devil the devil's child according to the scripture.

He said you shut up the kingdom of heaven. Because you have no work of God in your own heart. You have literally though you talk about God now. These are scribes and Pharisees who were Bible scholars.

They knew the Bible they knew the Bible of that time. They knew the Torah and they they they could explain it all and they they were out the zealous. He said they they scoured the seas of the lands. They they went everywhere trying to make even if all the plans and all the schemes to make one convert one proselyte.

Jesus said you were so set on numbers and building up your Synagogues you go to these extremes to make converts you see Christ despised the hypocrisy of shepherds and. Those who evangelize more concerned about the count than the conversion.

More concerned about the numbers. Then really seeing a work a true work of conversion done into their heart. No wonder what Jesus would say. Today when he sees this same spirit. He said you Rome see and land for new concepts and new ideas and programs to get people into the church.

And you are lost in this hypocrisy of numbers and measuring success by the number of bodies that sit in the congregation. And what a hypocrisy this is in the sight of God. We have now in America what we call mega churches.

Mega-Church Growth and Genuine Conversion

Right now this morning all over the United States there were traffic jams in many many circles you it took you. Some people an hour just to get in the parking lot of some churches. Thousands and thousands lined up they have police officers directing traffic in and out and it in people.

Jamming into these into these places some of the church edifices. Look like theme parks. I mean they are like shopping malls. You go to some churches. They have McDonald's in there. They're all they have their own malls now folks.

I'm not putting this down. Many of them there's a number of them I know that have got these servants and shepherds there that are preaching the gospel and many Thousands and some of these churches are being truly converted and I have no I'm not putting that down and no correction for any of that.

I'm in no position for that Times Square Church is considered a mega church. Thousands attend. This and this morning of people in overflow rooms and all the overflow rooms are. Have people in them hearing the gospel now.

And I can assure you that there are a number of people that come to Times Square Church. Who call themselves converts who are not converted? Did you know that? I'm not judging them. But I just know for a fact that they they have created their own Christ in their mind they've heard the word has gone in one ear not the other they've not allowed it and You can go to hell just as quick here as any other place and you can become a twofold child of hell sitting under good Holy Ghost preaching.

But I can assure you if anybody goes to hell a twofold child of the devil out of Times Square Church. It's not going to be the fault of any preacher or the preaching from this pulpit. It's going to be because you've hardened your heart and you will not listen to a convicting word of the Holy Ghost.

We will not stand before God with your blood on our hands. It will be not because there's been a half gospel preached here, but there'll be a true gospel preached here. It'll be preached this morning is preached every time.

It may not be the best of preaching. But it'll be the anointed preaching that'll touch your heart. Where are the John the Baptist today? Who are unafraid to preach the gospel and lose numbers in the process of necessary.

Not the purpose of it. But where are those who have preached the same message to presidents and kings as they do to the lowly people that come into their houses. Of worship, where are the John the Baptist today?

Not afraid to preach the gospel whether it affects the finances or not. Whether it affects the crowd or not. A friend called me recently. He said I'm going to certain church and and I hear good concepts.

But I don't hear anything that convicts they go right from the preaching into Announcements and there's no there's no conviction and I'm trying and the pastors. I don't know what that's all about. I don't understand that I don't understand this concept of conviction.

I Tremble to think that it's possible that that I or any minister the gospel that it. That a message could be softened just to please people. Just to attract people to soften or preach less than an entire gospel without Seeking God with everything for a Holy Ghost anointing to drive it deep into the hearts and bring conviction.

I trouble to think that possible that any preacher the gospel could shut up the heaven and Make converts twofold children of hell. That's what he said to these scribes and Pharisees. He said you you're making converts and you're preaching your gospel but you are actually shutting the heavens and Making your people two times over children of hell.

Can't shake that. When I think about my responsibility here this morning and preaching the gospel to you. Those that hear this on tape. You see I don't preach to be loved. I Don't preach to be accepted now my flesh wants to be loved.

But I'd rather send you home if you have sin in your heart and give you sleepless nights. I Don't like that kind of preaching but you are thinking about it. The Holy Ghost is dealing with you and you are being changed by it.

Don't stop loving me just because I said that Bible said Jesus called his disciples together and listen to these words and in the audience of all the people. Gate he gave this scathing rebuke to these religious scribes the scholars of his day.

Rejecting the Praise of Men

Beware of the scribes which desire to walk in long robes and love greetings in the markets and the highest seats in the synagogues and the chief rooms at feast. In other words you beware of shepherds who love the praises of men.

Who love the social events to sit in high places and be recognized by? Leaders and by politicians and want to be accepted. I want to tell you sir If you're a pastor here, and you're toast of the town something's wrong with your preaching.

Bible says you're gonna be hated. The Bible says you're gonna be despised. If you were except looking for acceptance if on the job you're looking for acceptance. And you were hiding your light under a bushel because you would rather have the approval of your co-workers.

You're not living according to the gospel. You're not living according to the the Commission that Jesus Christ has given his church. Beware of those religious Bible people who seek the affection the applause of the ungodly a Church accepted by the world as an oxymoron.

In other words it's a foolishness. There's no such thing as a church that is truly Preaching and working under the Holy Ghost. Fulfilling the commission of the Word of God that is loved and accepted by the world.

It's impossible. If you were of the world the world would love his own. Because you're not of the world. But I've chosen you out of the world therefore the world hated you. If you were of the world if you were their kind they'd love you.

The World's Influence and the Protestant Antichrist

I've been greatly influenced by the writings of Godly man called George Bowen. George Bowen was a Presbyterian missionary in India from 1848 to 1879. He gave up all of his missionary support and he moved in in India.

Right into a slum area and and lived as the natives and delivered there for years living just frugally and almost in poverty. But he was one of the greatest men that I've read or ever read about in his writings have deeply affected my life and He warned is over 150 years ago.

He warned of the coming of a Protestant Antichrist. And he said that Antichrist is going to be the Influence of society. Being brought into the Church of Jesus Christ. Its ways its methods its morals.

Infiltrating the Church of Jesus Christ. He called the Protestant Antichrist the spirit of mixed you with the world and he said the time is going to come When this Antichrist may take his throne in that time.

You will know that time has come when the church the Protestant Church is no longer persecuted. It is no law and it's now loved and accepted by the world. That means that this Antichrist spirit has come and Jesus is no longer Lord.

But the ways and means and methods of the world have crept in. Received the letter two weeks ago from a lady so distraught. She said I love Jesus and our church used to be so on fire. But it is backslidden out every Saturday night in the gym that have wrestling matches.

They bring in professional Wrestlers and they even have fake blood they have it all in the crowd goes crazy. Just like you see on television and she said our church now is a wrestling match. See the the Protestant Antichrist is is Determined this is a spirit of the last days.

Determined to so intermingle Society its ways and means and methods with the church that it's indistinguishable from the world. So that the world accepts it. The world is is now a part of the church and that the church is a part of the world.

That is the Protestant Antichrist Woe unto you when all men shall speak well of you. For so did their fathers of the false prophets if if we are Preaching the Word of God as it should be then like Paul the Apostle.

As a pastor of this church, I'm going to be considered by the world out there by homosexuals by politically correct people. By leaders who are ungodly and by the theater crowd. And all those who have rejected Christ.

I'm going to be considered the off-scouring of the world and So will you on your job? Jesus said don't think they will persecuted me. They persecuted me and if they persecuted me, they're going to persecute you.

He said you're going to get it. But most of all we're going to be hated by the backslidden religious crowd by Bible scholars. Get New York Times today. You'll see a story in the New York Times. I read it last night before going to bed a story about Thousands in fact hundreds and hundreds and even thousands of young people lining up with various Christian food organizations and charitable organizations ready to go into Iraq as soon as the doors are open.

They're going to distribute food and preach Christ In Iraq and the Article is so derogatory, but the worst criticism came from a Baptist Bible scholar. I was shocked. I think it's great that that this work could be used in some way to open the doors and that Thousands of Muslim turned to Jesus Christ to me that that's the the only way I can make sense out of this whole thing but to hear.

It was enough to hear the world mocking it. Thinking that it Is a right-wing religious ploy, but to hear a Bible scholar saying let's mind our own business. And to put it down is the very thing I'm talking about in this message.

Persecution for Righteousness' Sake

Go to Matthew the fifth chapter just just turn there very quickly. Matthew the fifth chapter. The chapter of Matthew starting at verse 10. Blessed are they which are what? Persecuted for righteousness sake for theirs of the kingdom of heaven blessed are you when men shall Revile you.

Persecute you and do what? Accept you and bless you and congratulate you. No, they shall sell manner of evil against you falsely for my sake. But should say rejoice. Be exceeding glad for great is your reward in heaven for so persecuted they the prophets which were before them.

Now folks, I know that some churches and some Christians are persecuted for their stupidity. There they are persecuted because they have unfair dealings with their friends are in their business dealings.

Are they there are doctors and there's a poor example or churches that are just doing foolish things. Then and their hate and their despise for that, but I'm talking about those who have a heart for Christ.

They're preaching a pure gospel and they have a heart for a lost world. Bible says the closer you get to the mission of Christ. The closer you get to preaching the gospel that he's ordained. The more hated and the more despised you will be by the world.

Why does the world hate the church? And its pastors and its parishioners, what's the cause of this hatred? Jesus said if the world hates you, you know, it hated me before it hated you. The servants not greater than his Lord if they persecuted me.

They will also persecute you. You see the church and every true Christian every true believer is hated. Because of our mission I want to talk to you about the mission of the church and show you why if you're truly Obeying the true mission of Christ to a lost world.

You're going to be marked. You're going to be persecuted on the job. You're going to be persecuted in the church. And the time will come the closer we get to fulfilling God's mission in New York. When you mention Times Square Church, you're going to people see their eyebrows go up.

Oh, oh that church because you see we're going to be taking a stand against the powers of darkness as we've never taken it before and all hell's going to get angry and Everyone is walking with the enemy and a rejecter of Jesus Christ is going to be an enemy.

The Church's Mission: Calling People to Repentance

You're going to find enemies on the job. Enemies everywhere because you're fulfilling the mission now. Let me talk about this mission and some of you gonna be a little horrified by what I'm saying. You're gonna draw back and say well, wait a minute, bro.

That's too strong. But what is my mission as a pastor? What is your mission as as a witness for Jesus Christ? It's more than going out just telling people Jesus loves you. It's more than trying to Give people examples of how much you suffer so they'll have pity on you.

So they'll listen to your gospel. Oh My my mother just died and I'm feeling a little sad, but I want to tell you how Jesus can comfort. It's more than that. That's fine. But that goes far beyond that.

Our mission is to take from on ungodly men that which is dearest to their heart. Their self-righteousness. You're commissioned to go and tell men who spent a lifetime Believing that they're doing good and That they're achieving something.

I'm kind to my family and I'm kind to people and they spent a lifetime Building up what they believe is integrity and you come along and tell them it's filthy rags. You come to translate people out of a kingdom of darkness into a kingdom light.

That kingdom of light that they think is nothing but bondage and suffering you're taking away from their freedom. More than that you you've been sent to execute him to kill him. How what do you think if people come in and they hear us talk about dying to cry dying to the world and dying to Sin being crucified.

You say wait a minute. Well, isn't that our mission? Isn't this our mission to show them that you have to die to sin and to self-will and to self-independence. And you come along and they have spent their lifetime killing their conscience searing it and Silencing a voice and you come along with the voice louder than their conscience.

And say without Christ and say it as lovingly as you can say with tears in your eyes. But you are speaking a voice louder than their conscience and they have spent a lifetime Achieving this false peace and you come along say without being born again, you're a rebel.

You you you to you to them. You're an executioner. You come to kill him. All this time I've been okay. All this time. I know I've been through this and and folks they have built their own tower of battle of self-confidence.

They have an idolatry of a Christ. They've created in their own mind. Who's just like them and you come along and talk about another kind of Christ a Christ who demands full surrender. You come along and you speak these things to the world.

Folks, you better have the Holy Ghost with you. You better be speaking the mind of God. There are people who praising themselves that they're not so bad. Here you come. Saying all your goodness is an abomination in the eyes of God that you've achieved in your own flesh in your own works.

It comes a Christian it comes a path. They come into church. How many people walk into this church? And and they have finally come to the place. Really they believe God admires them now I'm not so bad.

I'm I'm too good for hell. Maybe not quite ready for heaven, but I'm getting there very fast. Then they come in and sit and hear a man say Unless you're born again. You can't enter the kingdom of heaven.

Folks think of what our mission is and how the world perceives that mission. There are millions of people filling our church pews today thinking they're in God's good graces and. They hear a message. You hear a message that comforts them.

We come along and we preach repentance and life change. We preach that self-made integrity is not acceptable to God. That rather being rather than they being in God's favor. God's wrath is upon those who will not receive his loving call to surrender all to him.

We come along preaching the blood of Christ and separation from the world. We talked about submission and obedience to the Word of God and they can't conceive. You see my job as a preacher is to convince men to love a Christ.

They can't even trust to commit themselves to a Christ. They don't believe in. Some will say well brother Dave. That's not the way you may be from the church and you said well. That's not the way do you maybe a pastor hearing me and you said well, that's not the way I approach my mission.

That's not my mission. You see I don't believe in confrontation. In my church, I've preached non-controversial messages just love and grace. One pastor would say I would never expect anybody to leave my church uneasy.

And I would sure not like to take anybody's sleep from them by what they heard me preach. I Can't speak for other pastors. I can't speak for other churches and I'm going to speak what I know. From preaching for over 50 years to some of those hardest wickedest sinners on the face of the earth the drug addicts for years and alcoholics and prostitutes and.

More than that preaching to Pharisees. Those who are church people for years and years not speaking about but they've gone to church and they breathe. They're all right, and they're hypocrites and they're blinded to their condition.

You've got them in the Baptist churches. We've got thousands of Baptist going to hell. Pentecostals and others been to church all their life and they're harder than anybody on the street. You can't reach them.

There are they're hardened to the gospel. Because they have an image of Christ that they've created and they accept all of the promises of the word. But none of the commandments and none of the woes. Let me tell you Suavity and softness and half-truths.

Never going to break down the walls of the wicked in the world today. You know when Christ approached Saul of Tarsus. That Christian killer. He didn't send a soft-spoken Preacher to take him out to lunch and over brunch.

Slip a little Jesus to him. I'm not trying to be facetious. He didn't take a poll of this man say what do you think of Christ? What would it take Saul for you to change your mind and receive Christ and quit killing these Christians?

No, no, no, no a Blinding light a full blast of the presence of Jesus himself. That exposed his heart and that's what it's going to take in these last days. It's going to take John the Baptist in the pulpit with a broken heart.

Who knows the fullness and the meekness of Christ and preach. Jesus preached with meekness and he preached with love. And yet they killed him. I want to preach mercy. I preach grace and I'm gonna preach through love and I want to preach through tears.

But folks the walls that are up now the only thing is going to bring it down is a full blast of the presence of Jesus in our churches and coming out of The mouths of our pastors. That has to be a full blast of the presence of Jesus.

That has to be felt in every church and without the Holy Presence the awesome presence of Jesus and without Preaching the touch of the heart. We're gonna close the heavens. And folks, there's no greater deception that I can think of that.

I could be guilty of then to count heads in the congregation and Make me look good and measure my success by the number of bodies in these seats and not be concerned about your soul and close the heaven to you and make you twofold devil of hell.

That frightens my soul. We watch for your soul. The Bible says Jesus said I've chosen you out of the world and that strikes at the heart of why we are hated. He said I've chosen you out of the world. Therefore the world hates you for this reason.

They hate you because I called you out of their condition. I called you out of their fellowship. I called you out. And not only did I call you out. I sent you to call everybody else out and the Protestant Antichrist comes against this very thing that I'm talking about that.

You don't have to call people out anymore. You can still live like the world. You can be a part of all of the morals and Morays of society and still call yourself a Christian. What do I mean by the world?

The Meaning of Worldliness and Christ's Lordship

I've called you out of the world. Folks. When we talk about the world we think about lust and pornography and drug addicts and all these things who call out of the world. That's that that's a part of it that but that's not the issue.

I've called you out of the world. You see the world in the eyes of God is An unwillingness to surrender to the Lordship of Jesus Christ. That's worldliness in its fullest meaning scripturally. The did you want to be a Christian you want to be a follower you want to be called a convert of Christ.

But you will not come under the full Lordship of Jesus Christ. Because you see when you come under the Lordship of Jesus Christ. You don't have to have a man in the pulpit screaming against your sins.

All they can name them. Yes, they are to name them. Yes, there's to be reproof. But you see if you come under the Lordship of Jesus you cling to Christ you begin to love reproof. You begin to allow the Holy Spirit to speak into your life things that are unlike Jesus Christ.

And he does the work that no preacher on earth can do because you have surrendered to the Lordship of Jesus Christ. You see you can't come under Lordship of Jesus Christ till you brought face-to-face with the cross.

And I'm telling you something now and I want you to listen closely. I See young preachers, especially good young men pastors. Wanting to build these great churches and some of them now Stand in the pulpit.

They're preaching to thousands, but I want to tell you something. There is so little preaching of the cross of Jesus Christ. There's so little of bringing them face to face that the demands that you come to Jesus Christ and you surrender to his Lordship.

You come and lay down your independence. And we've got people living independently. They're living just like the world talking like the world drinking like the world sleeping around like the world and in the house of God calling themselves believers and there's no conviction and there's there's no coming to the cross and in that process If we're not brought to this cross.

If we're not brought to this Absolute cry of God and the absolute demand of the cross to die to sin and die to my ambition and Die to my way of doing things and come to the righteousness of Jesus through the cross.

Then I've shut the heavens. And I've made converts a twofold member of hell. Jesus once turned to some earthly relatives. And he said these shocking words he said the world can't hate you. Now think of that.

These are brethren. Do you know what that infers? The world can't hate you. Because you're of the world. Because the world does not hate its own and this I think is the measurement of the Church of Jesus Christ.

To measure whether it's fulfilling the mission or not. That's how you measure Times Square Church. The most damning one of the most damning things Christ ever said one of the most soul-destroying things Christ ever said that just I Can't get it out of my heart and my mind and the conviction of it makes me tremble.

I don't want it ever said of me. The world can't hate you. David Jesus Said they hated me without a cause. And no cause to hate me, you know, you would think you see Christians are called to be meek gentle kind.

And if you were to believe that's the way you're going you're going in that direction you care about people. And on the job where you're giving your heart to people you're doing everything. You know to help and you're meek and you're kind and you're gentle.

It's not natural for people to hate you for that. Is it? Yeah, you you ask people how they're doing on the job and you you do everything you can say. I Pray for you. You give you you may bring them a covered dish.

You would do everything and you do everything Christians. I Would think that you would hate those who rob you and steal from you and curse you. That would seem more natural to the flesh. But you see. When when you are fulfilling the mission of Christ you're doing.

You're not going out trying to hurt anybody folks. We are to approach the world with patience. We're to be like a tender nurse. That were to preach with authority Of the Holy Ghost. Whether and folks get out of your mind once and for all.

Wanting to be loved on your job. Loving to be applauded. Now now you should you should be admired for being faithful and doing a good job. If you're lazy, you're not a good Christian. If you're stealing you're not a Christian at all.

You're to be an example. But if you're going around walking on eggs. Trying to Have everybody say he's a good Joe. She's she's she well what a Wonderful person she is. Be careful. The world can't hate you.

Persecution as Evidence of Faithfulness

Why. If you're fulfilling his mission Jesus said they're going to hate you and They're going to persecute you and folks in the chaotic days ahead. There there is coming the most incredible persecution of the body of Jesus Christ and all of the street.

You're going to face it everywhere and the more You hear the gospel and live by it. The more you hunger for Jesus and the more you speak truth out of an honest heart. You're fulfilling the divine purposes in the ministry that God has called his church to.

You're going to know what it's like for people to be cold so. Condescending to you to look down their nose in other words at you. And they talk behind your back. They'll say things to you that are hurting.

There's going to be persecution more than that many people are going to be losing their jobs. You see you're you're not hated because of your appearance. You're not hated because the way you dress. You're not hated because of the color of your skin now that that happens, but if you are Christian That's not why you're hated you are hated because you represent Jesus.

And you're coming against everything that they believe is right. Everything that they've tried to earn everything that they stand for and they're what they call their hope and you're taking that hope from them.

You've got to understand that. You've got a hard mission you've been called to. But I'll tell you something else before I close. The more you're hated by the world The more you're loved by the body of Christ.

Oh. What a wonderful thing to come in from a hectic week. Come in from a hectic week and all the things you've heard and what people have said and what you've had to go through and and All the trial sent out of hell.

I'll tell you the devil has sent his angels with some of you in the choir and in this house all of the devil's actually sent angel because he sees you're walking your determination to go all the way with the Lord and he sent angels out of hell and he sent demon emissaries and and adversaries against your soul to trouble you.

I've never seen more trouble in the true Christian world than then there there there is now. I've never seen so much suffering never seen it in all my years of ministry. But I'll tell you what, he's strengthening the body of Christ.

And when you come into God's house one little hug from a brother our sister. And they know that you're just you have the same spirit. You've been persecuted, but they say welcome home brother. Welcome home sister.

Here's your house. Here's where you loved. It's gonna be more and more important. To come to God's house to receive and give love to build up the body as It goes back out into the world to face the persecution of trials that we still face ahead.

Jesus said I warned you. If they persecuted me. They will persecute you. Will you stand if you're here this morning and you're thinking to yourself. Wait a minute. I Know I'm a Christian and I'm gonna love Jesus.

But I'm not being persecuted and I don't feel that hate coming at me. I'm I'm rather well-loved. Don't worry about it. It's coming. Don't worry about it and don't don't feel you know, I must be one of those that the world can't hate.

No I'm not. I don't. I'm not gonna put that kind of fear on you at all. But be sure that it's coming. But don't be afraid of it. Can I say something else before I close? With Iraq and Now the troubled economy and all the personal things that come upon us all the suffering.