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.
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.
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,
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,
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.
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.