If The World Hates You

If/Then

Have you ever walked into a room and immediately felt like you didn’t belong?

Maybe it was a party where everyone knew each other—but no one knew you. Or maybe it was a work meeting filled with inside jokes and unspoken rules, and you were the outsider trying to keep up. It’s awkward. You laugh at the wrong time. You say something that gets sideways glances. You leave thinking, “I don’t think I was supposed to be there.”

Now imagine feeling that way… all the time.

That’s what following Jesus can feel like in this world. Because the more we live like Him, the more we stick out. The more we love truth, the more lies become uncomfortable around us. The more we show grace, the more bitterness doesn’t know what to do with us. And Jesus told us this would happen. He said, “If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first” (John 15:18).

The tension we feel between who we are in Christ and what the world expects from us? That’s not a glitch in the system. That’s the cost of discipleship. But here’s the good news: Jesus doesn't just warn us about the hatred—we're reminded that we belong to something greater than this world. Something deeper. Something eternal. So when life gets complicated—when you feel rejected, misunderstood, or even hated for doing what’s right—remember this: you’re not losing your place. You’re just being reminded where your real home is.

For all of the ways that Jesus presented himself to the people and to us, of all the things we still don’t understand, there are some things that we can understand and identify with. Jesus often spoke in ways that the disciples didn’t understand at first and they were left to deal with that, to think about those things, maybe so they could have time to try and figure it out from themselves and come up with their own answer only for Jesus to swing back around to it later and give them the answer to show them how wrong they were because they were thinking with a mind of this world and not thinking in the way the Kingdom wants them to think. I think it kept them both grounded and confused. But Jesus was always there to clear away that confusion and not only tell them the answer but to show them how they must think so they could become who there were supposed to be.

We don’t always like to talk about this part of the Christian life.

For many of us—especially here in the western world—following Jesus has been relatively comfortable. We’ve gathered without fear. We’ve worshipped openly. We’ve kept Bibles on our shelves without a second thought. But something’s shifting, isn’t it? This morning we didn’t leave our homes before daylight, take all the backroads we could find, didn’t go down some single lane path through wooded areas so we could arrive here before daylight so no one would see us. No, instead we came openly, never thinking about what someone may think of us gathering for worship. But it’s not like that everywhere.

Today in places like Africa, Christians are still persecuted for their faith.

It’s getting harder. Maybe not all at once. But little by little, the cost of following Christ is becoming more visible. And while that might feel new to some of us, it’s not new at all. Around the world, there are believers who risk their lives just to whisper His name. They meet in secret. They hide their Bibles. They pray behind locked doors. They know what it means to suffer for Christ.

And maybe—just maybe—we’re starting to get a glimpse of that here too. Now, I want to be clear: some of you already know what it means to suffer for your faith. You’ve lost friendships, faced hostility, or been mocked for your convictions. You’ve experienced very real wounds simply because you refused to let go of Jesus. That’s not nothing. That’s a badge of honor in the eyes of Heaven.

But today’s passage forces us to sit with an uncomfortable truth: Jesus was hated. Not because He was harsh, but because He was holy. Not because He was cruel, but because He was uncompromising in love and truth. And if we follow Him, that hatred will come for us too. Jesus said it plainly: “If the world hates you, remember that it hated me first.”

That’s not a threat. It’s a heads-up. It's a reminder that this world—broken and rebellious—doesn’t know what to do with people who look like Jesus. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness pushes back. But listen—this isn’t a message of fear. This is a message of hope. Because here’s what’s also true: If you know Jesus, then you know life. If you have Jesus, then you already have more than enough.

It’s in the hard seasons—the confusing ones, the costly ones—the ones where we find ourselves driving down the road lost in thought and find ourselves asking “what is all of this for? Is all of this really worth all that I’m going through, being put through? Is it really worth it? What good is it really doing?” that we begin to realize He really is enough. He walks with us. He strengthens us. He holds us when the world tries to push us down. And we are never alone. Yes, the world may get darker. But Christ has already won. And He’s coming back—not to condemn, but to redeem and restore.

During VBS last week, I was doing the Bible class for the children and we were talking about who Jesus is, who Satan is. And one child, I don’t remember which one, enthusiastically yelled out, “Jesus beat Satan!” I just sat there for a moment. The way the child said that through me off what I was talking about. I started back in to the lesson but honestly, I wasn’t anywhere near focused on what I was saying because all I was thinking about was “when was the last time I said that with that much conviction, with that much assurance and confidence?” It took this child to force me to look back on my life and ask that question and as far as the answer, I still don’t know.

We can become jaded over time, hardened if you will because maybe we forget some of the basics of who we are and more importantly, to whom we belong.

As John 3:17 says, “God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.”

So when you feel the pressure mounting, the heat rising—don’t panic. Don’t compromise. Stand firm. Stand kind. Stand boldly in grace and truth. Because you don’t just carry a message—you carry the presence of Christ. And He is worth it all.

Let’s be honest—none of us likes to be rejected. Whether it’s being left out of a conversation, overlooked for a promotion, or simply treated with cold indifference because of what we believe… rejection stings. It cuts at our sense of belonging and whispers lies that we’re not good enough, not wanted, not welcome.

But Jesus—our Savior, our Shepherd, our Friend—was no stranger to rejection.

In John 15, He sits with His disciples and prepares them for what’s coming. Not just the cross—but the cost of following Him. “If the world hates you,” He says, “keep in mind that it hated me first.” (John 15:18) That’s not a poetic metaphor. That’s a reality check. If we walk in His footsteps, we will walk into the same hostility He faced.

Why? Because we’re no longer of the world. Jesus says He chose us out of it. We don’t think the same way. We don’t live by the same values. We don’t worship the same idols. And that difference—that holiness—is what the world resists. It's not just disagreement—it’s spiritual friction.

But here’s the paradox of faith: what feels like rejection from the world is actually confirmation from Heaven. That’s why, as strange as it sounds, we can rejoice when the world pushes us away for bearing the name of Jesus. Not because we enjoy pain, but because we know what it means. It means we’re walking the right road. It means we’re identifying with Christ so deeply that His enemies are becoming ours. In fact, Jesus doesn’t just warn us—He blesses us.

There’s something Jesus says in Matthew 5 that should stop us in our tracks:

“Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven…” (Matt. 5:11–12)

He doesn’t say if they insult you, or if they falsely accuse you. He says when. And He’s not just talking about what He experienced. He’s reminding us that this has always been the way of the faithful. The prophets before us were ridiculed. The disciples were imprisoned and martyred. And we—if we truly walk with Christ—will not always be embraced by the world.

But here’s the beautiful, unshakable encouragement: You belong to Jesus. That’s not just a feel-good phrase. That’s your identity. That’s your anchor. Jesus says in John 15:19, “As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world.” That changes everything. It means you are not defined by who rejects you—but by Who chose you. Your value doesn’t rise and fall with human approval. You’ve already been accepted by the One whose opinion actually matters. So yes, the world may hate you. It may insult you, ignore you, misunderstand you, and even turn against you. But Jesus says, “Remember… it hated Me first.” In other words: You’re in good company.

When you face resistance for your faith, don’t panic. Rejoice. Not because pain feels good, but because pain reminds you of your position. It confirms that you are walking in the footsteps of Jesus—and the prophets—and every faithful soul who ever dared to live differently in a world that chases conformity. And here’s the hope: Whatever rejection you face now is nothing compared to the reward that’s coming.

Paul puts it this way in Romans 8:18: “I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.” So don’t give up. Don’t shrink back. You’ve been chosen. Called. Set apart. You may not belong here—but you belong to Him. And He will never leave you. He will never forsake you. And one day, He will call you home—and welcome you with a joy the world could never offer. That’s the encouragement of belonging to Jesus.