There's a true story of a small village in India.
And in this village, there was this family that came to a saving faith in Jesus Christ, a Savior and Lord.
This agitated the village so much and everybody became so upset that an angry mob gathered and shoved them into the public square.
The village chief confronted them and he said to the man,
If you and your family will not recant your faith, you all will surely die.
The man didn't know what to say or what to do.
And so the only thing that came to mind for him were the words of a song that he himself had composed when he had first surrendered his life to God.
And so he began to sing,
I have decided to follow Jesus.
No turning back.
And with that, horrifically, his children were killed.
I have decided to follow Jesus.
No turning back.
He was given another chance, this time with his wife's life on the line.
And yet he continued to sing,
Though none go with me, still I will follow.
No turning back.
After her tragic death, he was given one final opportunity, this time to save himself.
And yet he continued to sing.
The cross before me, the world behind me.
The cross before me.
The world behind me.
The cross before me.
The world behind me.
No turning back.
Even though that man and his family died on that day, something remarkable happened.
a seed was planted in the heart of that village chief,
a seed that began to grow over time,
and eventually he called the community together
in that very same neighborhood, in that very same square,
and he renounced his former faith
and declared his allegiance to Jesus Christ.
And a celebration broke out in that moment,
and the gospel began to flourish and to grow in that community,
not just in that village, but across the whole region,
because they had seen real faith,
and they knew the true character of God
because of a family that believed and sacrificed,
even under the penalty of death.
No turning back
We've been working through for a few weeks now
the chapters in John's gospel that we know of as the Farewell Discourse.
It's often seen as Jesus' goodbye to his disciples,
but there's more going on here than just goodbye.
This is more than just,
I'm leaving.
This is carry on,
these are marching orders,
and the focus till this point has been so positive.
It's been so encouraging.
It's been all about comforting the disciples.
If you remember back in chapter 14,
Jesus began to tell his disciples
that he is leaving for the purpose
of preparing a room for them,
that the reason he is going
is because there was more,
and he is going ahead of them in preparation.
He told them about another counselor
that he would give to them,
another helper,
who was going to be just like Jesus.
They would not be left alone.
There was another one coming from the Father.
Even in chapter 15,
the command to love,
the command to bear fruit,
it all comes in the context
of being reminded
that it's Jesus who is divine,
that it's him who will empower them
to love one another,
that it's him who will enable them
to bear fruit,
that it's his Holy Spirit
who will be with them,
and the incredible promise
in the back half of chapter 14
that the Father and the Son
will make their home
with these disciples even now,
that they will come
and that they will dwell with them
in the person of the Holy Spirit.
But suddenly,
when we get to this second half
of chapter 15,
everything shifts.
There's this drastic change
in the tone of what Jesus has to say
because he knows
that there is a reality
that the disciples will face
that is far from comforting,
that is far from easy.
And he begins in verse 18.
If the world hates you,
keep in mind that it hated me first.
If you belong to the world,
it would love you as its own.
As it is,
you do not belong to the world,
but I have chosen you out of the world.
That is why the world hates you.
Remember the words I spoke to you.
No servant is greater than his master.
If they persecuted me,
they will persecute you also.
If they obeyed my teaching,
they will obey yours also.
They will treat you this way
because of my name,
for they do not know
the one who sent me.
The message Jesus has for his disciples
is the world will hate you.
I will be with you.
I'm preparing a place for you.
I will make my home with you,
but the world that you live in
will hate you.
For all the good that you try and do,
for all the love that you show
to your brothers and sisters,
and especially for the message
that you bring,
that Jesus is the only hope for salvation.
Because of all that,
the world will hate you.
The disciples need to realize
that they have chosen to follow
a suffering saviour.
That the one who they are here with,
the one who they are giving their lives to,
has been rejected his whole life.
Very soon he will be killed,
crucified,
and they've got to understand
that's the one they're following.
Following Jesus means following Jesus.
And the footsteps he took
led him to the cross,
led him to suffering and rejection
and ultimately death.
It shouldn't be a surprise for the disciples,
but this one last time,
before he leaves,
Jesus wants them to hear it from his mouth.
The path of a Christian
is one of suffering and rejection.
Following Jesus means following Jesus.
Look at verse 22.
It says,
If I had not come and spoken to them,
they would not be guilty of sin.
Now, however,
they have no excuse for their sin.
If I had not done among them
what no one else did,
they would not be guilty of sin.
But now they have seen these miracles,
and yet they have hated
both me and my Father.
Jesus arrives and begins to preach
that the kingdom of God is near,
begins to preach that salvation
and forgiveness is in him,
begins to prove that he is the Son of God
who can bring forgiveness
by the power of his miracles,
by the authority of his teaching,
and yet they reject him.
He comes offering forgiveness and hope,
but the kingdom he preached
was not necessarily the kingdom
that they wanted to hear about.
The kingdom that Jesus preached
was a kingdom of righteousness,
a kingdom of holiness.
And so what it did was hold a mirror up
to just how unworthy the world was.
Jesus' life and his miracles
and his perfect example
and his message
that he alone is the way,
the truth and the life,
took away the opportunity
that the world had
to deceive itself
into thinking it was okay.
His arrival meant
that you chose him
and chose life
or you rejected him
and chose death.
It's not a surprise
that the world hates Jesus.
Nobody wants to be told
that they're not good enough.
Nobody wants to be told
that they don't measure up.
And Jesus' life,
in its perfect holiness
and obedience,
made obvious the sins
of the world he went to,
made obvious the sins
of his people,
and the lives of the disciples
will continue to offend.
They will continue to show people
that they're not measuring up,
that the standard is not okay
and people will hate them for it.
We shouldn't be surprised
as Christians
when the world hates us.
It angers people to think
that we as Christians
can have contentment
and hope and joy
and forgiveness
even when we stuff up
just like they do.
It angers the world
to think that we can be content
without the things
that they need to be content with.
It angers the world
that we can have joy
and satisfaction
even if we don't have
the dream job
or the dream house
or the 2.3 kids.
It angers them
that Christians
could trust Jesus
to judge
rather than taking revenge
for themselves.
It's no surprise
that the world hates Jesus
and it's no surprise
that it hated the disciples
and it shouldn't be a surprise
if it hates us as well.
I want you to grasp
the weight
of what Jesus says
in this couple of verses here.
We've got the luxury.
We can look back
at these words
thousands of years
into the future.
Think about what happened
just after Jesus
uttered these words.
within a few hours
of reminding the disciples
that the world hated him
Jesus was arrested
tortured
beaten
and brutally murdered.
For all
but one
of these 11 disciples
brutal death
awaited them.
they would follow Jesus
to the point
of being killed
for being a Christian.
Some would be crucified
some would be beheaded
some would be drawn
and courted.
It's not too strong
to say
that the world
hated the disciples.
It's not too strong
to say
that the world
hated Jesus.
But the crazy thing is
as we read through that
and we think about
what happened
after Jesus spoke
these words
listen to verse 25
this
this hatred
this suffering
this persecution
this death
this
is to fulfill
what was written
in their law
they hated me
without reason.
This law
is the Psalms
it's God's word
it's the scriptures.
Jesus on the cross
was God's plan
and the disciples
and all the suffering
and opposition
that they faced
was also part
of God's plan.
It's kind of easy
for us now
to think of the cross
as being a time
when God is incredibly
in control
because we know
how it ends.
But can you imagine
what it would have been like
to stand there
on that first Easter
staring at your
Saviour
suffering
straining for his
last breath
about to die
and trying to be confident
that God was in control.
each one of these disciples
would face
their own death
and Jesus needs them
to understand
it's part of the plan.
No matter how hard
it gets
no matter how tough
it is
it's part
of the plan.
God is still
in control.
Jesus is warning them
not so that they
can avoid it
not so they can
find a way around it
but so they can
endure it.
If you turn to
chapter 17
where Jesus is
praying for his
disciples
in verse 15
his prayer says
my prayer is not
that you take them
out of the world
but that you protect
them from the evil one.
Jesus doesn't want
his disciples
to miss out
on this suffering
and persecution
that's coming
he just wants them
to be able to
last the distance
he wants them
to endure
he wants them
to get to the other
side and still
be following Jesus
still be going
strong
the suffering
is part of the
journey
and it's part
of the plan
and his prayer
is that the devil
doesn't use the
suffering to drag
them away
ultimately
but not that the
suffering disappears
altogether
that is part of
the plan
and what does
Jesus call his
disciples to do
when the suffering
and the persecution
comes
verse 26
when the counsellor
comes who I will
send to you
from the father
the spirit of truth
who goes out
from the father
he will testify
about me
and you also
must testify
for you have been
with me from the
beginning
the thing that is
making them
persecuted
is the message
that they are
bringing about
Jesus
it is the testimony
that Jesus alone
can save
it is the testimony
that you are not
good enough
without Jesus
it is the testimony
that you need
his help
to be a Christian
it is the thing
that moves people
to call Christians
arrogant and exclusive
it is a message
that says
there is one way
not any way
that is well
intentioned
there is one way
to our heavenly
father
and that is
through the son
and Jesus
sends his spirit
after he leaves
so that it might
dwell in us
and might remind us
of the one way
to heaven
might remind us
of the work
that Jesus
has accomplished
in forgiving us
and cleansing us
and making us
acceptable
but more than that
it will empower
the disciples
to testify
for themselves
to open their mouth
and to speak
out loud
Jesus chose
these men
that they might
be witnesses
to his ministry
that they might
be there
for the three years
they might hear
the sermons
they might see
the miracles
they might see
him on the cross
they might see
him alive
they might see
him ascend
to the throne
in heaven
they are eyewitnesses
and Jesus
has chosen
these eleven men
and their testimony
to be the foundation
for the church
in the creed
we said just before
we said that we are
an apostolic church
what we mean
when we say that
is we are a church
that is based on
the eyewitness testimony
of the apostles
so it matters
that these guys
come through
it matters
that persecution
isn't enough
to make them quiet
it matters
that persecution
isn't enough
to stop them
speaking of Jesus
and so Jesus
promises
I will give you
a counsellor
I will give you
a helper
to strengthen you
to remind you
of what I have
already done
and to empower you
to speak boldly
no matter what
opposition
you might face
in verse 1
Jesus explains
all this I have
told you
so that you
will not go
astray
these guys
must last
the distance
they will put you
out of the synagogue
in fact
a time is coming
when anyone
who kills you
will think
he is offering
a service
to God
we are reminded
of Paul
who in Acts
is standing there
approving
as Stephen
is stoned
to death
Paul is killing
Christians
because he believes
he is helping
God to get rid
of these upstarts
who have come up
with a new way
but Jesus
explains
they will do
such things
because they
have not
known the
Father
or me
I have told
you this
so that
when the time
comes
you will remember
that I warned
you
Jesus warns
them so that
they know
what is coming
so that there is
no surprises
in following him
so they don't
go astray
these 11 guys
need to say
with conviction
I have decided
to follow Jesus
and there is no
turning back
he wants ringing
in their ears
as one of the
last things
that he says
they hated me
they will
hate you
as well
but when they do
continue
to testify
don't let the fact
that your words
have brought
this persecution
on you
stop you
from speaking
because that is
why I have
left you here
he chose us
out of the world
but he leaves
us here
because
we are to
testify
because we
are to be
his witnesses
to the ends
of the earth
and this kind
of opposition
isn't limited
to this time
in biblical
history
the message
of the gospel
is still
hated
with fierceness
in fact
there are some
statistics
that suggest
that more
people have
been killed
for following
Jesus in the
20th century
than in every
century beforehand
combined
persecution
is not slowing
down
and even now
as we meet
here in church
together
we have
brothers and
sisters in
Christ
all over the
world
who are fearing
for their
lives
simply because
they call
Jesus
saviour
simply because
he is their
lord
and Jesus
message to
every one of
them
and his
message to
us
is
I warned
you
this happened
to me
this is the
path that I
trod
and this is
the path
that you are
following
don't be
surprised by
what is
going on
but stand
firm and
testify
Jesus would
say to each
and every
one of us
and every
person who
knows him
you have
tasted the
goodness and
mercy of
God
you have
tasted
forgiveness
you know
hope
you know
salvation
and I have
given you my
holy spirit
so that you
can stand
firm and
testify
that is the
purpose that I
give it
don't underestimate
the significance
of the testimony
of a persecuted
Christian
it's not a
coincidence that
the church has
grown by the
blood of the
martyrs
after Stephen
died in
Acts
the church
exploded with
growth
because a
persecuted
Christian
speaks a
language that
can't be
denied
that man in
the video
spoke a
language that
couldn't be
ignored by
his chief
as he stood
there and
watched his
children die
and continued
to sing of
his love for
Jesus and
his commitment
to his
Lord that
chief saw
something that
he didn't
know as he
watched his
wife die and
this man
continued to
sing of his
commitment to
Jesus a
seed was
planted in
that chief
because this
man knew
something
incredible he
knew some
truth that
this chief
could not
even
comprehend
that he
could stand
there and
say I
love my
kids and
they matter
to me so
much but
Jesus is
better I
love my
wife and
she matters
to me so
much but
Jesus is
better I
love my
life but
Jesus is
better better
than safety
better than
family better
than job better
than popularity
glory for
many Christians
following
Jesus means
saying that
it is better
to know
Jesus as
Lord and
be dead
than to
reject him
and be
alive that
is a
testimony that
can't be
disputed
Jesus never
promises that
his followers
will have an
easy life it
doesn't come
anywhere in the
Bible but
he calls the
disciples and
he calls us
as his followers
now to
testify about
him that's why
he gives us the
spirit who
testifies and
he sends us
out in the
power of that
spirit to
preach the
message of a
risen Savior who
is the only way
to the Father
but he does
say he does
warn us if
you do it
you'll be
persecuted if
you do what
I'm asking you
to do if you
follow the path
that I'm setting
out in front of
you the world
will be
hate you
that is how
it works
but what does
that mean for
us here in
Sydney
as you watch
that video
as you hear
other stories
of people
suffering all
over the world
for their
faith
it's hard to
really understand
we have no
idea what it
would be like
to have a gun
to our face
we have no
idea what it
would be like
to be threatened
with our own
lives just for
following Jesus
so what
does this
mean for
us
should we
be praying
for more
persecution
should we
be asking
God to
send more
gunmen
just so that
we can
testify that
way
no that
would be
stupid
it's not
smart to
pray that
somebody
threatens my
wife's life
just so that
I can talk
about Jesus
but at
very least
on some
level we
have to
ask the
question
why is
the world
so comfortable
with us
why don't
we face
more opposition
why don't
we have
people hate
us
Chris was
reflecting
we were
chatting earlier
in the week
that he
worked through
this passage
with his
small group
and that
trying to
wrestle with
that word
hate was
really difficult
trying to
think of a
time where
we've been
hated for
our faith
is difficult
because the
reality is
I don't
think many
of us
have
and we
have to
ask the
question on
some level
why is
that
maybe for
us
persecution
looks
different
it isn't
guns for
us
it isn't
the threat
of losing
our very
lives
but it's
still there
it's still
there in
the pressure
from the
culture that
we live
in
it's not
a moment
where you
obviously
choose I'm
going to
stand up
and proclaim
Jesus
or I'm
going to
shrink back
and be
quiet and
protect
myself
but maybe
it's those
opportunities
in your
life that
are a bit
more subtle
the times
where you
can choose
to stand
up and
testify to
Jesus
with the
way you
live
or you
can choose
to compromise
with the
way you
live
the
opportunities
you have
as you're
driving
to just
compromise
a little
bit and
just go
with everyone
else 10k's
over the
speed limit
or to
testify that
Jesus is
Lord by
obeying the
law that
is set
there
the
opportunity
you have
to stand
up and
speak about
what you
did on
Sunday
night
or instead
maybe you
just compromise
and don't
really talk
about it
in case
someone might
get angry
or offended
I sometimes
wonder if we
would go
better if
we had
guns to
our heads
if the
choice was
more obvious
about standing
up for
Jesus and
denying him
I wondered
if we
would do
better
but we
don't have
a gun to
our head
we have
what God
has given
us
we have
the blessing
of the
country that
we live
in and
we have
the blessing
of lots
of subtle
opportunities
lots of
day-to-day
choices that
we can make
to testify
that Jesus
is better
the choices
to tell the
truth even
when you know
it's going
to cost you
the choices
to be different
to the people
around you
because you
know it's
what God
wants
the choice
to open
your mouth
and say
Jesus is
the only
way
to heaven
the response
you make
when you
have that
awkward
conversation
when someone
finds out
you're a
Christian
and they
ask you
do you
think I'm
going to
hell
do you
water it
down and
say oh
it's hard
to say
I'm not
really sure
or do you
say well
Jesus is the
only way to
get to heaven
is he your
Lord
the instruction
in this
passage is
testify
the instruction
isn't go
looking for
suffering go
looking for
persecution
that'll
happen
but the
instruction
the command
to the
disciples
and the
command
to us
is be
bold
and be
fearless
you don't
need to
muster up
courage
the spirit
is in you
testifying to
Jesus
Jesus is the
best thing
you've got
all you've got
to do is open
your mouth
and tell people
about him
the forgiveness
you know
the hope
you have
the salvation
that you have
experienced
is better than
anything that
this world has
to offer
and this
passage is just
telling us to
open our mouths
and talk about
it
you don't have to
come up with a
gospel presentation
just tell people
how good Jesus
is and what he's
done for you
just say I am
forgiven because
Jesus died in my
place
that is what this
passage is telling
us to do
to stand up and
testify no matter
what it costs
to be able to
stare not just
death but every
compromise
to stare the
pressure of a
culture in the
face and say I
have decided to
follow Jesus
no turning back
because he is
better than
anything
that video we
watched just
earlier is
emotional
we can hear a
story like that
and be devastated
at the cost that
that man had to
pay just to
follow Jesus
and that's
right
but maybe even
more we can be
inspired that he
knew what it was
to be completely
satisfied by his
saviour
that he was able
to sing in the
face of loss that
we can barely
comprehend
sing in the face
of death
because his
treasure could
never be taken
from him
Jesus says
tonight it
costs everything
to follow me
don't try and
avoid the
opposition or the
difficulty it's
inevitable
instead know that
it's coming
be prepared
pray and ask
that God will
give you eyes
to see those
little subtle
opportunities
to testify
pray that he
will give you
boldness
pray that he'll
give you the
words to say
so that you
can stand
firm and
testify
pray that you
will be so
satisfied in
Jesus
so content
so joy
filled
with your
treasured
Jesus
that there is
nothing that
anyone could
possibly try and
offer you
to drag you
away from him
you also
must testify
because you
know that
Jesus is
better
father God
we want to
admit that
so often
we choose
silence
we choose
safety
we choose
the path of
least resistance
when Lord
we know
that that's
not how you
work
we know
that saying
yes to you
means that
we will be
opposed
means that
we will be
hated
father we
ask that you
would so
fill us with
your spirit
and so
satisfy us
in your
son
that we
would not
be able to
help but
talk about
you
no matter
what the
reaction is
no matter
what the
opposition
is
that we
wouldn't
be able
to close
our mouths
because we
are so
overwhelmed
and in
awe of
your love
and your
mercy
and your
goodness
father keep
us from
compromise
empower us
and empower
Christians all
over the
world in
all circumstances
to speak
your truth
so that you
get the
glory
to speak
your truth
so that
others might
be drawn
in to
testify of
your
goodness
father we
thank you
for Jesus
because he
is our
treasure
because he
is the
most valuable
thing
amen
things
you
what
you