Opposition Foretold and Forewarned

Transcript

JOHN 15:18-27
4/26/1981
Opposition Foretold and Forewarned
John 15:18-27
Gil Rugh

John's gospel and the 15th chapter. John's gospel in your Bibles. John chapter 15—and the worst part about that is if you have one and you get healed, you have to change your theology! John chapter 15, and we come to a break. Not a break in the discussion, not a break in the purpose that Christ has in the material that He is teaching the disciples but it is a break in that it brings in material that He has not emphasized on this evening up till now. He has been stressing to them something of their relationship to Him and their relationship to one another. We abide in Him as the vine. We have that permanent relationship of intimacy and life with Jesus Christ. That influences the relationship we have with one another, and so the obligation to love one another is impressed upon us in verse 17. "This I command you, that you love one another." So now having emphasized the relationship we have with Him, the love relationship we have with one another, He injects into the conversation a note of reality and that is the hatred that they are going to experience from the world. And this comes at an opportune time because what it does is magnify the importance of having love toward one another. Believers are going to be objects of the world's hatred, the object of scoffing and scorning of the world. It becomes all the more crucial to function in a love relationship with one another.

Look over in the Book of Romans, chapter 14. Romans chapter 14. A little subject in Romans 14 but an emphasis given on the importance of being sensitive to one another as believers. I want to have this impressed upon our minds as we move into the section before us this morning. In Romans 14 Paul talks about how we are to deal with one another as believers, the sensitivity we ought to have for one another, especially stronger, more mature believers toward weaker Christians.

In Romans 14, verse 15 Paul gives the caution, “For if because of food your brother is hurt, you are no longer walking according to love. Do not destroy with your food him for whom Christ died.” Paul is concerned that we will not be functioning in an attitude of love toward another believer, and if a believer is not receiving love from other believers, where can he receive it? He’ll be an object of hatred and scorn from the world, and when he comes to fellowship and be part of a body of believers is made the object of scorn and ridicule there. Paul said that is destructive. You can ruin him and his walk as a child of God.

Down in verse 17, “The kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. For he who in this way serves Christ is acceptable to God and approved by men. So then let us pursue the things which make for peace and the building up of one another.” Strong emphasis on our responsibility to one another as believers, on loving one another, on being zealous in pursuing those things which produce peace among believers. It’s easy for us to emphasize the things that would divide, but our goal is to build up one another.

So come back to John 15. It becomes increasingly significant in light of the fact that we as believers are residing in a hostile world. In a world that is set against Jesus Christ and against all those who would be identified with Jesus Christ. So the warmth, security, acceptance among believers becomes crucial.

So you ought to see verse 17 as closely related to verse 18. Some commentators connected verse 17 to what goes before, some with what goes after. We've taken to become smooth and easy now. No, that's not the case. And in Matthew 10— we’ll read parts of this that will be coming up later in our study of John but you’ll have it as background—verse 24. "A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a slave above his master. It is enough for the disciple that he become as his teacher, and the salve as his master. If they have called the head of the house Beelzebul, how much more the members of his household!" Verse 28. "Do not fear those who kill the body, but are unable to kill the soul; but rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell." Then He talks about the value of believers to God.
Down to verse 34. "Do not think that I came to bring peace on the earth;
I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I came to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; and a man’s enemies will be the members of his own household. He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me; and he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who does not take up his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me." We see that stress on rejection. That comes down to even divide families and we see this repeatedly. A person within a family becomes a child of God and antagonism builds in the family that was not there before. Why? Because the world has an affection for those of its own kind. But you have become different and the world cannot stand difference. It cannot stand the one who is out of step, cannot stand the one who by life and testimony is a rebuke to it and to its activity.

Look over in Matthew chapter 5 to the Sermon of the Mount. Verse 10.
"Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." Verse 12. "Rejoice, and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you." You remember Jesus asked the leaders of His day, "Which of the prophets did you not persecute?" You study the history of Israel through the Old Testament, and the ones that Israel accepted were the false prophets. The true prophets— Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel—were the subjects of rejection and persecution.

Look over in 1 John chapter 3, verse 13. "Do not marvel, brethren, if the world hates you." Don't be amazed if the world hates you. Then you note the emphasis on love in the next verse. "We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brethren." Love, affection is directed toward other believers but don't be amazed that the world hates you. It still amazes us in one sense.

It amazes us how upset people get because a person has become a child of God and openly proclaims the testimony of their faith in Jesus Christ. The transformation that has been brought about in their life. Why should people be so antagonized that this person explains the reason he no longer pursues a life of sin and debauchery, immorality, drunkenness, drugs? But there is an antagonism there. Don't be amazed. Second Timothy chapter 3, verse 12, says "All that live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution." We know something of that and that affects us in the way we stand for Jesus Christ in the testimony we give. Often we're in a situation where we have the urging to make Jesus Christ known, but there is a fear. What? How will they accept this? How will they respond to it? What will they say back to me? How will they treat me, if I present Christ in this way? There is a fear of the rejection, a fear of the hatred that I sometimes try to cover over by trying to keep my identity a secret. If they don't know that I'm a Christian, if they don't know that I stand upon my faith in Jesus Christ and the truth of His Word, well, they'll accept me more favorably.

Back to John chapter 15. We ought to note that this hatred is unchanged.
In verse 18 it says, "You know that it (the world) has hated Me." That is a perfect tense—has hated. That means something has happened in the past and the results or effects continue into the present. In effect, Jesus is saying, "the world has hated Me in the past and it continues to hate Me."

And the world’s attitude has not changed down to today. The world still hates Jesus Christ and thus those that belong to Jesus Christ. Christ says, I have chosen you out of the world. Remember Paul wrote to the Philippians in chapter 3, verse 20, and said that our citizenship is in heaven. We now belong to a new kingdom, a new realm. Therefore, we are those who arc out of the world as far as our identity is concerned. That's why James chapter 4 says that friendship with the world is enmity with God. Those that belong to the world, those who are the friends of the world are the enemies of God. Romans chapter 12, verse 2, gives the exhortation not to be conformed to this world. First John chapter 2 verse 12 says to love not the world neither the things that are in the world. True believers have been removed out of the world. Therefore, the world hates you.

Verse 20, idea that we read about in Matthew chapter 10. "Remember the word that I said to you, ’A slave is not greater than his master.’” Now the point is obvious. A slave is not greater than his master. A slave serves the master. The master is the greater. "If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept My word, they will keep yours also." This idea of a slave not greater than his master was used over in chapter 13, verse 16, where Jesus said, "Truly, truly, I say to you, a slave is not greater than his master; neither one who is sent greater than the one who sent him." There Jesus said that knowledge ought to affect the way that we serve. We ought to be willing to humble ourselves and do the most menial service on behalf of other believers because a slave is not greater than his master. That affects the way that we serve. Over in chapter 15, the fact that a slave is not greater than his master affects our attitude toward suffering. So when we say a slave is not greater than his master, that affects our attitude toward service rendered for other believers. That also affects my attitude toward suffering. What Jesus is stressing in chapter 15 is suffering. "If they persecuted Me, they WILL persecute you; if they accept My word, they’ll accept your word.” We are inseparably linked together. So who accepted Jesus’ word? Those who believe. So those who accepted the word of Christ will accept the word of those who belong to Jesus Christ. Those who do not accept Jesus Christ and His word will not accept our word. That’s where the line is drawn.

Now you see here the identification. We have seen this earlier in this discourse, that Christ is inseparably linked to the Father and we are inseparably linked to Jesus Christ. And the attitude of the world manifests toward us as God’s children is a reflection of their attitude toward Jesus Christ with a reflection of their attitude toward God the Father. So clearly the chain is linked. Why do they reject us? Now I realize that there are some obnoxious people and some Christians who in and of themselves are obnoxious, and they would be obnoxious whether they are talking about the weather or talking about the Bible. That’s not what we are talking about here. We are to be a people who manifest the character of Christ in all that we do. His character is meekness, kindness, gentleness, and love. But there is also the presentation of the truth in that concept, and when that is presented the world cannot abide, stand it, endure it. And I have to be careful in the name of love and understanding not to sacrifice the truth for acceptance.

“They have rejected Me, they will reject you; they have persecuted Me, they will persecute you.” Why do I think I’m too good to be persecuted? That affects all that we do. It intimidates us in giving our testimony in our family, at our jobs. It intimidates people from making the break with their previous religious associations. We don’t want to be rejected. But how can I be identified with Jesus Christ, manifest His character, proclaim His character, and be accepted by a world that rejects Him? I cannot. I cannot bring two opposing things together. I cannot be a friend of the world and the friend of God, and as a child of God I must stand in my identification with Him, whatever the cost.

Note the confusion that exists in the world. "All these things they will do to you for My name's sake, because they do not know the One who sent Me."
So you see that chain how it is linked? They'll do this to you as believers because they do not know My Father who sent Me. We are inseparably linked back to God the Father. That's the basic relationship—related as sons of God through faith in Jesus Christ. Now the world rejects us because they don't know God the Father. That's why one of the tests of a believer is does he love other believers? If there is not a love for the sons of God, he is not a child of God. They don't know God. Now that sounds rather arrogant. If people do not accept me and my message, it is because they do not know the God that I represent. That is true. That is true for each of us as believers. People who reject you and your testimony for Jesus Christ are indicating that they do not know God. Isn't that what Jesus says? "They will do this to you for My name's sake, because they do not know My Father, the One who sent Me." Now note here. The suffering is for His name's sake. This is suffering and persecution which is a result of my testimony for Jesus Christ. That's the kind of suffering we're talking about. We have believers, sad testimony that it is, who suffer because they don't do a good job in their business, their jobs, their work. They ought to be doing whatever they do as unto the Lord.

We suffer for other things. Those we come in contact with know that we’ve come to believe in Him. They know that we believe in His Word, and our life and our words are a testimony to the world that they are lost in sin without hope. It's a good time to stop and ask yourself—How many people have rejected you, have opposed you because of your testimony for Jesus Christ? How many people have ever heard from you the message of Jesus Christ? If we don't stand with Him, if we're not identified with Him then there is no rejection because we are undercover agents! You know, God has not sent us out to be undercover agents.

We've got all these secret Christians but there is no allowance for that. We sometimes talk about the Apostle Paul, that wouldn't it have been better if he'd have stayed in Judaism. If he had remained part of the nation Israel and the Judaistic system, he could have subtly worked the message of Christ in in the meeting of the Pharisees and into this synagogue? What does he do? He's got to blow his cover. He comes out and storms in, proclaims Christ, gets stoned, and run out of town. You say that's not the most effective way, but that's the way God does it.

My testimony ought to be clear. If I'm not being rejected—now I realize some people have a persecution complex and they can go to bed at night thinking, oh boy, 2 people rejected me today. It feels good. That's not the kind of thing we're talking about. Our goal in being identified with Christ and making Him known is not to be rejected. Our goal is that men and women might come to salvation by faith in Jesus Christ. We must be sensitive to them and where they are in a situation, etc. But a by-product of being an aggressive, clear testimony for Jesus Christ will be rejection. And you note the rejection is broad—it's rejection by the world and this world system. For those who accept the message and believe, they will be a minority and not a majority.

Verse 22. "If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not have sin, but now they have no excuse for their sin." And verses 22-24, what He is emphasizing is that revelation brings responsibility. And a person who is exposed to the truth of Jesus Christ is under increased responsibility before God. Increased guilt, if you will. Jesus says, "If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not have sin, but now they have no excuse for their sin."
Now they were sinners. All the world was under sin. David wrote about this in the Psalms. The Old Testament is full of it. The heart is deceitful and desperately wicked above all things. What we're saying is, that with the coming of Christ and the fullness of revelation their guilt is compounded. All the world is guilty before God today, but those who have come under the sound of the gospel, there is increased responsibility before God because they have increased light or revelation. There is no excuse of any kind at all for the nation Israel because the Messiah has come, and He is the fullness of revelation of the very character of God Himself. There is no excuse for that rejection. You note that. Israel misunderstood. Israel was not looking for this kind of Messiah. Jesus said, "There is no excuse for their sin." So, a person who comes and the message of Christ is proclaimed. They have had the full light of the revelation of His character and there is no excuse. That does not mean that the person who has not heard has an excuse. Romans chapter 1 says that all are under condemnation for even the creation reveals the character of God. But there is an increased fullness of revelation which brings increased responsibility.

Verse 23. "He who hates Me hates My Father also." You note where the issue is? There are many religious people who hate Jesus Christ, and they are simply manifesting that they hate God. Now isn’t that a contradiction or a paradox? They are religious, they go to church, they worship (so to speak) yet Jesus Christ says they hate God, because they hate Me and they hate the ones who belong to Me. "If I had not done among them the works which no one else did, they would not have sin; but now they have both seen and hated Me and My Father as well." Again, the stress here ’would not have sin’ and ’would have no sin' is on the rejection of the fullness of light. Not that they would be sinless because that's clear throughout the Old Testament—the Jews would comprehend that. The whole sacrificial system was tied to the reality of sin. But the fullness of revelation of Jesus Christ has just made absolutely clear how sinful they really are. But their problem was not that they needed more revelation, their problem was that they had chosen not to believe. We see this with people today. Oh if only they could come to Indian Hills and hear the message of Jesus Christ. If they could only hear this over here. If only they could come with me to this. And they come and hear the message, and they go away unmoved. What does it demonstrate? Their problem is really one of lack of faith, one of rebellion against God. It was unchanged with increased revelation. Now I'm not saying it's not good to expose people to revelation. That's the only way God works. Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God, and a person must be exposed to the revelation of God to believe it. But just because a person has been exposed does not mean that they will believe. And we ought to take note of this here—sometimes we develop a wrong attitude. We share Christ, we present the gospel and people reject us and we go away hanging our heads thinking we did something wrong. Or, it must have been the wrong time. I must have said the wrong thing. We become almost apologetic. But Jesus Christ was rejected almost every time He talked. The Apostle Paul was rejected every place he went. The problem was not in the way the material was present. The problem was not that it was not the right time. The problem is there is an antagonism between the unbeliever and the believer, between the child of the devil and the child of God. And unless God supernaturally does a work in the heart of that person you're testifying to, by the very fact that you shed the light of the gospel of Jesus Christ on their life will increase their antagonism to you. Now some keep that under wraps, but you keep hammering away at that and what happens? Pretty soon they break out into the open.

Ever had a friend or someone close to you that you witnessed to repeatedly and you didn't think it was getting on their nerves until all of a sudden one day they exploded and told you they just couldn't stand this all the time? They wished you'd quit talking about it? You say, Oh I didn't know it was affecting you this way.
Well, if the Spirit of God is not working in their heart, you had better believe that you're stoking the fire and it is creating antagonism and hatred even within families. Remember Matthew 10? Husband and wives, sons and parents, daughters and parents? Because this antagonism even goes beyond human ties! Family relationships are broken down because the basic relationship is a spiritual one, either with Satan or with God.

But, verse 25. "They have done this in order that the word may be fulfilled that is written in their Law" quoting from Psalms. We won't go back there, Psalm 35:69. You ought to go back and see the context, especially in Psalm 69, the breadth of the hatred that everyone is viewed practically as hating Him. "They hated Me without a cause." You note there is no reason for the hatred. It is supernatural. There is no reason why in a pluralistic society where we pride ourselves about accepting all kinds of opinions and strange and weird ideas to cause such an overwhelming stink at a university campus that is supposedly so open to a variety of ideas when a man comes and presents the Gospel of Jesus Christ. You'd think he had set fires to burn down the buildings. Why? There is a basic antagonism there. There is no good reason. He has not come to counsel rebellion, not to stir up a revolution. Simply to present the fact that I came to trust Christ and it changed my life. He made me a new person. If you will believe that He is the Son of God who died for you, He'll change your life too. People come unglued! Why? There's no cause!

Now we could stand up and say "I'm a Republican" and present ideas or that I'm a Democrat and present ideas, I'm an Independent and present these ideas, and say everyone ought to have their opinion. Someone else stands up and presents Jesus Christ and the world comes unglued. There's no cause except the basic spiritual antagonism that exists. It sure takes the burden off when I realize there is no way that I could present Jesus Christ without being antagonistic. Now be careful that you don't take that out of the context of the whole morning. I can be antagonistic in my presentation, and then it's a problem with me. But the truth of the Gospel of Jesus Christ antagonizes the unbeliever. But we must present it because in some cases, the Spirit of God does a supernatural work to overpower and overcome that antagonism and draw them to salvation through faith in Christ.

Verses 26 and 27, we have to draw this in to see the contrast. "When the Helper (the paraclete) comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, that is the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, He will bear witness of Me." We're going to pick this up in detail in chapter 16 so we won’t develop it fully here. The testimony of the Spirit. "...and you will bear witness also, because you have been with Me from the beginning." Then in chapter 16, the opening verses, He'll come back to the persecution they'll be involved in. I think it is important to see the connection here—the Spirit of God is going to be testifying concerning Jesus Christ and believers are going to testify. The result of the testimony of the Spirit of God is antagonism.

Now how does the Spirit of God bear testimony today? We'll see in chapter 16 that He has borne testimony by having the Scriptures recorded. The Scriptures were written as a result of the moving of the Spirit of God upon men of God. That is the testimony of the Spirit regarding Jesus Christ. It is also the Spirit of God who works in and through the believer in presenting the truth of the Word of God to the world, so the witness of the Spirit and the witness of the believer are inseparably linked together. And as I present the truth of the Word of God to the world, the Spirit of God is the one bearing testimony through me and the antagonism is there. The battle goes on. I'm going to be speaking at the University at a class this Tuesday, and there are going to be a couple of other ministers on a panel. One of them I know from the city and I've visited with. He is not a believer and makes no claim to be a believer. I go expecting antagonism. We are enemies because he is opposed to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I don't go expecting that we will be able to discuss spiritual things in a civil way. I go with a desire to present the truth of the Gospel that the Spirit of God might use it in the lives of those who have been prepared, but recognize and be forewarned that there will be rejection and antagonism. We ought to see how closely we are linked to the Spirit's ministry. The Spirit's ministry is to testify concerning Jesus Christ, and what does Jesus say? "You will bear testimony concerning Me." And we are joined together with the Spirit of God in His ministry. I should be intimated by the fact that the world is going to reject me? Almighty God Himself is going to bear testimony through me and I should be afraid of what you’re going to say? We are privileged to be involved in a ministry of eternal value and that the world should reject us should intimated us? How did they treat my master? Did they flock to Him? He was rejected. Now the joy in it is that the Spirit bears that ministry. He culls out certain ones, but they are the select, elect few. You and I ought not to be intimated. We are to be forewarned.

And that’s where chapter 16 will open up. He says, I told you these things beforehand so that you wouldn’t stumble or be offended when it all comes about. Ever talk to a new Christian or a young Christian and they’ve just shared their testimony with their family or friends, and they come back to you devastated because of the rejection they received? They say, what happened? What did I do wrong? All I told them was what happened to me, what Christ had done for me.

That's what Christ is preparing the disciples for. You know they can be carried away. He has told them about the relationship they have with Him, the power that is theirs from the Spirit of God who would dwell in them permanently. Easy for them to go charging out and think they're going to steamroll the world, and they get hit in the face the first stop. They come back and say, oh my, what happened? I take them back to the Word and say, What happened is just what He said would happen.

If Indian Hills Community Church is going to have a live, vibrant testimony for Jesus Christ in the city of Lincoln, Nebraska, it is going to arouse antagonism. Now we don’t minister the Word to be antagonistic. We minister the Word that men and women may come to the Savior of the Word, Jesus Christ. But a by-product of the ministry of the person of Jesus Christ is that those who do not believe, those who hate our Savior and His Father will stand against the ministry of the Word, will hate you and me for being those who present His truth of the Word. Thank God the Spirit of God bears testimony through us in a glorious, supernatural way. Sinful, antagonistic sinners in God’s grace are brought to salvation through the proclamation of that message. We sit in here in this auditorium this morning as a testimony to that fact, that some who hear do believe. They come to know the Savior.

Let’s pray together. Father, we thank You for the greatness of the task that we have been called to. Lord, that we've even been reminded that there is a basic hatred between the world and the believers. Father, we thank you for the presence of the Spirit in our lives to bear witness in and through us to a lost and dying world. Father, make us a people who are satisfied to be like our Savior, Jesus Christ; Father, that He was so persecuted, so rejected, so hated. Keep us from thinking that we are above Him, that we deserve better treatment. Father, help us to glory in the cross of Jesus Christ, to rejoice even in the suffering and rejection that that cross bears, and that we might count it a privilege to be rejected by the world because of our identification with Christ. Father, I pray for those who may be here this morning, perhaps they have been antagonized even by this message, that the Spirit of God would perform that softening ministry in their hearts that they might see that you have really acted in love in providing such a gracious Savior, that they might experience forgiveness and cleansing through faith in His death and resurrection. For those of us who have believed, Father, give us the courage to stand for you wherever we are. Lord, to do those things which are necessary to make our identification with Christ clear and without question. We pray for those who are here this morning for whom this will mean rejection by loved ones, being turned away by friends. God, give us the courage to stand firm on the Word that you have committed to our trust, for we pray in Jesus’ name, amen.