Sermon Tone Analysis

why preach on this topic?

first, because it is in the bible

second, this is part of a wider passage where Jesus’ was comforting his disciples

in the eyes of Jesus there was comfort for his disciples in knowing what they would be up against

third, as persecution against Christians and Christianity grows stronger here in our own land we would do well to remember our Lord’s comforting warning

fourth, it is good for us to remember that Christians have always been persecuted

It is estimated that at this very moment there are 245 million Christians suffering high levels of persecution.

from Nov 1, 2017 - Oct 31, 2018 (Open Doors Website)

4,305 killed for their faith

1,847 churches and Christian building were attacked

3,150 believers were arrested, sentenced, imprisoned or detained without trial

it’s never been different at any time in history

yes there have been pockets of peaceful coexistence in certain places at certain times

in light of this reality in NA it’s easy to forget that Christians have been among the most persecuted throughout history

this is especially important in light of the Satan inspired lie that many of the world’s problems have been caused by Christianity

as we focus on the hatred of the world remember the flow of the passage from John 13 to 15

summary of Jesus’ words:

“I love you”

“Love me by obeying me” and “remain in me”

“Love one another”

“the world hates you”

All Jesus’ disciples have in this world is the love of our Lord Jesus and love for each other!

we need to love one another because we are not going to get it from the world!

1 The World Hates Us Because We are Not Part of Them

John 15:18a “If the world hates you, …

“if the world hates you”

a conditional clause which expects a positive answer: “since the world hates you”

“world”

refers to the evil, fallen and corrupt system composed of sinners under the control of Satan (Jn 12:31; 14:30; 16:11; 1Jn 5:19)

In John 8:39-47 Jesus identifies 2 kinds of people in the world: those under the control of Satan and those under the control of God.

another way of thinking about it: there are 2 kingdoms in the world with 2 kings or fathers

these two kingdoms are in constant conflict with each other

The kingdom of the world which is under the control of Satan hates the kingdom of God because it is true.

it tells us the truth about God, man, sin, time, creation, judgment, hell, eternity, heaven, life, death, the afterlife

Satan is the father of lies and he rules the world system

it is a system at war with God, with Christ, with the HS, with the bible, with the church

this shouldn’t surprise us, it was what Jesus predicted

we are the most loved by God and most hated by Satan

we are the most blessed in the world and the most assaulted in the world

this is why Christ tells unbelievers to count the cost before becoming a Christian (Lk 14:28-33)

In verse 19 Jesus tells us that one of the reasons the world hates true Christians is because they are separate from the world system.

example of the Jews in Europe who were violently persecuted because they refused to integrate into society

their choice to live separate from the world around them generated great hostility, hatred and fear

this is how the world views true disciples

the world is going a certain way and we aren’t, the world believes particular things and we don’t, the world talks a certain way and we don’t, the world loves things and we don’t, the world says certain things are right and wrong and we disagree

listen to how Peter describes this,

a good summary from Proverbs:

followers of Christ hate the evil of the world and the followers of the devil hate the righteousness of the believer

love = phileo = natural affection - familial love

the people of the world have a natural affection for those who are like them

as long as we look like the world it will love us!

If the world loves us or at least tolerates us we would be wise to ask ourselves whether they know who we are!

Jesus says one of the the reason the world hates us is because he has chosen us out of the world

having loved us from before creation, God raises us out of our sinful life into a new life of righteousness

as such we become lovers of truth and righteousness

we become the world’s conscience

this is what it means when we are called to be salt and light (Mt 5:13-16)

the world hates us for that

they love darkness and hate the light (Christians) because we expose them as evil (Jn 3:19-20)

when a believer confronts an unbeliever’s sin the unbeliever responds with hatred because they hate God and they hate those who tell them God’s law

it’s also why they love to see Christians crash and burn!

Christians who live and talk as salt and light are a living rebuke of the world.

they reject the world system: what it thinks is good, what it tolerates, its goals and objectives

we are aliens and strangers in this world, our home is heaven

therefore Satan hates us, the demons hate us and those under their control hate us

2 The World Hates Us Because It Hates Jesus

John 15:18b … know that it has hated me before it hated you.

think about whom they hate!

Jesus is the exact representation of God

if you want to know what God is like read the life of Christ in the Gospels!

Jesus was without sin so there was nothing in him worthy of hate.

John 15:25 “They hated me without a cause.”

If this was true of Jesus who was perfect in love, obedience, holiness, joy, peace how much more so of his followers who are imperfect in many ways!!!

John 15:20a 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.

Jesus to his followers: ‘they will treat you like they treated me”

don’t expect to be treated any different!

because they hated and persecuted Christ they hate and persecute those who serve him

they hated Jesus who was perfect in every way, never lied, always told the truth, never lusted, wasn’t arrogant, never said a word he wished he hadn’t spoken, never became sinfully angry, never thought evil of another, never gossiped

how much more will the world hate us who are striving to be like Christ!

3 The World Hates Us Because It Doesn’t Know God

how do we reconcile this with the fact that many people claim to know God, pray to God, are spiritual, etc

some have even been heard to say “God bless you” or something like that!

Remember that much of the persecution Jesus experienced came from extremely religious people!

not only ordinary people but religious leaders don’t know God

theologians, priests, pastors, clergymen, gurus

not only do many of them not know God, they hate God!

since Jesus is the exact representation of God, to hate him is to hate God!

John 15:24b … they have seen and hated both me and my Father.

this is the natural condition of both the religious and non-religious unbeliever

they hate God

How do I know if I love God? It’s very simple: I obey him!

God spoke to the crowd at Jesus’ baptism: “this is my beloved Son, listen to him”

Jesus to the disciples in Jn 14:15

To live in disobedience to Christ is to hate God!

the problem: many people hate God and don’t know it

they say they are spiritual, they pray to God, they might even say, “God bless you”

what they love is a God of their own making: one who tolerates their sin (that god is actually Satan!)

when confronted with his moral law, his scriptures, his righteousness their hatred of God is revealed in their refusal to love him and obey him

how can we know this is in fact true?