In Relation to the World

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Sam Dinkler...not his real name, but the story is 100% fact. Sam was a year younger than me. I met him...he was in our circle when I lived up north. In the early days of Facebook, Sam and I connected. But one day, I get this message out of the blue -- dude, you're worse than Kurt Warner with all this Jesus stuff. He didn't mean it as a compliment.

Now, that's not harsh...not in the least...but it does serve as a talking point, that the message of Christ is offensive, and because of our association with Jesus, opposition will find us. Still, we have a message to proclaim, and even though it may be tough because of the world's rejection, we must remain faithful.

Join me this morning — we’re in John 15, down to 16:4, still working our way through Jesus’ Farewell address. I’ve found it to be timely and convicting and encouraging. What a blessing it has been to simply spend some time with Jesus in the Scripture these past few weeks as we remember our call as disciples: to be with Jesus, to become like Jesus and develop His character, and live like Jesus, doing the things He did and following His example.

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Expect Opposition

Interpretation

Believers can expect to be hated by the world because of their relationship to Jesus. Part of this is because believers don’t belong to the world anymore; they’ve been called out of the world.

The disciples’ relationships to one another would be characterized by love. But, the disciples’ relationship with the world would be characterized by hate and persecution. Persecution is causing someone to suffer either emotionally or physically. Because they persecuted Jesus, then the disciples will experience similar treatment. Where does this persecution come from? Hatred. This is mentioned seven times in verse 18-25.

Jesus is the dividing line. Those who hate Him and persecute Him will do the same to His followers. However, if they keep Jesus’ word, they will do the same regarding Jesus’ followers. In other words, how a person responds to Jesus will determine how they respond to His followers. Everything that happens is a product of Jesus’ name, and the world’s harsh treatment of Jesus and His followers stems from the fact that they do not know the One who sent Jesus. We live in a society of relative morality, though the shades of gray can be rather light and dark. Still, the fact that Jesus and the gospel confronts people with their sin is tends to be a dividing line in the sand. Now that Christ has come and sin has been exposed for what it truly is, hatred wells up.

Carson powerfully states, “Religious interests that pursue signs may be suspicious (4:48), and faith based on sight is intrinsically inferior (20:29); even so, it is infinitely better than no faith, and the signs and works of Jesus make legitimate claim on faith (4:34; 5:36; 9:32–33; 10:38). Rejection of Jesus’ words (v. 22) and works (v. 24) is thus the rejection of the clearest light, the fullest revelation; and therefore incurs the most central, deep-stained guilt.”

In these verses, there are at least four reasons given for the world’s hostility toward believers.

The world is ignorant of the truth. Jn15:20 notes that those who have the word of Christ will keep it, also keeping the words of the disciples.

The world resents Jesus’ message. Jn15:22 points out that people are without excuse because Jesus confronts them with the reality of sin. We live in a society to seeks to live its own “truth,” and this relativism tends to despise any claims on absolute morality, ethics, and truth.

The world resents Jesus Himself because He confronts them with their sin. This point goes hand-in-hand with reason #2, as Jesus continues in Jn15:23 by attaching the world’s response to His teaching to now hating the Messenger. One commentator reckons it to being caught speeding. It’s rarely self that we’re mad at, but the officer who pulls us over.

Jesus’ works provide the last ground for the world’s hatred. While He did works that no one else had ever done (Jn15:24), healing the sick, lame, leper, and even raising the dead, the world’s response was hatred. Through His works, Jesus gave the people no reason to hate Him. Yet, they did, fulfilling Ps.69:4 — “More in number than the hairs of my head are those who hate me without cause.”

Illustration

Guilty by association — in fifth grade, I was assigned sentences…for a crime I did not commit!

Application

We are called out of the world and into a life of following Christ, which necessarily means we will live in opposition to the practices and ways of the world. This isn't permission to be hostile...love and pray for your enemies is what Jesus taught us...but more along the lines of, "What were you expecting?" Jesus is going to call us to stand firm, bear the shame, and faithfully follow Him. If He endured shame and the cross for the joy set before Him, if Paul could confidently say Philippians 3:10 “that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death,” then we can endure as well.

Embrace the Call

Interpretation

The Helper will come from the Father, and He will bear witness about Jesus. This is paired with the fact that disciples also will bear witness. At least part of this is the Spirit gracing believers with unique gifts that enable faithful and effective service to Christ. The Spirit determines the gift each person gets, and the purpose is that the body would be built up, both through the exercise of initial faith and the ongoing perseverance of continuing faith. It is the Spirit who both gifts us and empowers us to exercise these gifts and directs in how to exercise these gifts. Yet, we are responsible for walking in obedience wherever He leads.

Remember that our role is to bear witness, not convert. We are called to “solemnly assert something, offering firsthand authentication of the fact, often concerning grave or important matters.” We have been touched by grace, moved by Christ, made alive by the Spirit, and we now have a story to tell. This story can come in a multitude of ways. John Mark Comer, whom I quoted last week, gives three “gospel rhythms” that were modeled by Jesus:

Make room for the gospel. This is done through relationship building and hospitality. Large and in part, Christians have lost the home field advantage. While some statistics are showing that spirituality as a whole is on the rise, those who follow Jesus are not. And, what we’re noticing is that people will belong to a church long before they profess faith in Christ or unite themselves to a local body of believers. We must make room for the gospel first before we can effectively…

Preach the gospel (and no, it’s not primarily for pastors!) This can be as bold as confrontational evangelism, but as simple as being vocal about our faith in the highways and by-ways of life. We’ve been conditioned through society to keep our faith private, but why? Why can adamantly defend our football team in the public square, which has no bearing on anything of actual substance (quick, name the national champion football team of 1939, the year World War II began — it’s TAMU), but we remain silent on matters of eternal importance.

Model the gospel. If our words don’t match our message, it will fall on deaf ears. Mark my words, they will not hear what we do not live. The chief command among them all? Love for God and love for others. If I claim to be changed by the gospel of grace, but my entire life revolves around self, sports, career, relationships, friendships, likes, the woods, the water, kids, or any other host of things, the world takes note. Likewise, if I claim to have been impacted by the love of the God who is love, yet I’m impatient, envious, hostile, angry, prideful, arrogant, rude, insisting on my own way, irritable, resentful, unforgiving, short-tempered, and rejoicing at the downfall of others, then has love truly visited us and settled in our deepest recesses? And, if it has, then how are we interrupting the flow of love from the Father to others?

Endure to the End

Interpretation

Why has Jesus told the disciples of the persecution and hatred they will face? He intends them to not fall away. The persecution that fleshes itself out in the book of Acts has been foretold by Jesus so that the disciples are not caught off guard. Jesus also tells the disciples why this persecution will come — people believing they are offering service to God will put them out of the synagogues and even kill Jesus’ followers because they have not known the Father nor Jesus, His Son.

Consider the apostle Paul and the opposition he led, believing that his passion for God was shown by the fact that he persecuted the church.

As for being put out of the synagogue, even in Jn9:22 the Jews had already agreed to put Jesus-followers out of the synagogue, to cut them off from worship. The sentiment is similar to Jn12:42, and you still see this today with Jews who are taught to never read the NT.

What lies behind this opposition? Ignorance — they do not know God. It seems so overwhelming, the evidence that all of Scripture points to Jesus. One particular YouTube channel I’ve enjoyed lately, “So Be It,” often talks with other Jews about the prophecy in Dan.9 that says the Meshiach (Messiah) will come before the destruction of the second temple. It begins in Gen.3:15 and ends with either the temple, priesthood, and crown coming out of exile in Jesus (2 Chron. Tanak ending) or with the promise of Elijah (JTB) before the birth of John preparing the way for the Messiah (Malachi OT ending).

Let me ask you: are you ignorant to God and Jesus the Messiah? SHARE THE GOSPEL

Illustration

There's an odd thing about this life of faith we live. It's not uncommon to hear it referred to as a race, even in Scripture. And, this race that we're running, whereas the goal in most every other race is to win, our race you win just by finishing. It's the king of all "you get a trophy" sports...you just have to finish.

Application

It truly is amazing how often persevering to the end is a theme, particularly in John. Has anyone studied through Revelation recently? The goal is faithful service until the end.

Experience

Back to ol' Sam Dinkler. How should you respond when you face opposition, because we will be opposed? I tried to graciously explain that as a follower of Christ, we're called to put His glory on display and find ways to bear witness about who He is. A few more exchanges later, I apologized for offending him...after all, it's not our goal to offend, but to offer life, and we're no longer social media friends. Did I handle everything well? I'm not sure. But, in the midst of offending him, I tried to share Jesus while running the race and remaining faithful. And that seems to be what Christ calls His followers to.