Why The World Hates Us

 Temple Baptist Church - 5-1-2024

John 15:17-25

 

Introduction:

 

A.   The Lord is giving some last words to His disciples just prior to going to the Cross. 

 

1.  If they kept His commandments and continued to abide in Him, the world would hate them in His stead and take their wrath out on them.  Tonight, we will take a short look at why the world hated Christ so much and now hates the Christian.

 

2.  Peter would deny Christ thrice shortly for fear of retribution from the crowd who took Christ.

 

B.  In these verses, Christ reiterates His command that we should love one another.  Spiritually, we are all that we have outside of Christ.  Though they still hate Christ, He now sits at the right hand to the Father and there is nothing that they can do to Him.  We MUST be there for each other.

 

C.  I preach quite a bit on loving the brethren because the world and Satan are doing their best to divide us.  “Divide and Conquer” is a biblical principle that Satan knows full well:

 

Matthew 10:36  And a man's foes shall be they of his own household.

 

Mark 3:25  And if a house be divided against itself, that house cannot stand.

 

D.  Christ wanted His disciples to know what would happen to them and why it would be so.  Their persecution would be linked to obeying Christ’s commandments.

 

1.  Verse 17.  They had the human option of not obeying so as to not draw attention to themselves.  In that case, they would not be identified and persecuted.

 

2.  If they obeyed Christ’s commands, they would be easily identified and singled out for persecution.

 

2 Timothy 3:10-12  But thou hast fully known my doctrine, manner of life, purpose, faith, longsuffering, charity, patience,  (11)  Persecutions, afflictions, which came unto me at Antioch, at Iconium, at Lystra; what persecutions I endured: but out of them all the Lord delivered me.  (12)  Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.

 

E.  Let us look at what Christ said to the disciples as he gave them reasons for persecution. 

 

1.  Christ wanted His disciples to know that they were in the right Company!  “If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you.”

 

Acts 2:1  And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place.

 

Hebrews 10:24-25  And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works:  (25)  Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.

 

2.  Christ wanted them to know that they were not of the world.  “If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world.”

 

1 John 4:4-6  Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.  (5)  They are of the world: therefore speak they of the world, and the world heareth them.  (6)  We are of God: he that knoweth God heareth us; he that is not of God heareth not us. Hereby know we the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error.

 

3.  Christ wanted them to know that He chose those who believe to be His.  “but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you.”

 

2 Thessalonians 2:13  But we are bound to give thanks alway to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth:

 

4.  Christ wanted them to know the fellowship of His suffering.  ” Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you;”

 

1 Peter 4:16  Yet if any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God on this behalf.

 

5.  Christ wanted them to know that the world rejected His word.  “if they have kept my saying, they will keep yours also.”

 

Revelation 1:9  I John, who also am your brother, and companion in tribulation, and in the kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ, was in the isle that is called Patmos, for the word of God, and for the testimony of Jesus Christ.

 

6.  Christ wanted them to know that they hated them because of His name.  “But all these things will they do unto you for my name's sake, because they know not him that sent me.”

 

Philippians 2:10-11  That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth;  (11)  And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

 

7.  Christ want them to know that He exposed their religion as false.  “because they know not him that sent me.”

 

2 Corinthians 4:4  In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.

 

Ephesians 6:12  For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.

 

8.  Christ wanted them to know that they hated Him because He exposes their sinfulness.  “If I had not come and spoken unto them, they had not had sin: but now they have no cloke for their sin.”

 

Romans 5:12-15  Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:  (13)  (For until the law sin was in the world: but sin is not imputed when there is no law.  (14)  Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over them that had not sinned after the similitude of Adam's transgression, who is the figure of him that was to come.  (15)  But not as the offence, so also is the free gift. For if through the offence of one many be dead, much more the grace of God, and the gift by grace, which is by one man, Jesus Christ, hath abounded unto many.

 

9.  Christ wanted them to know that the works they hated would be done by His followers.  “If I had not done among them the works which none other man did, they had not had sin: but now have they both seen and hated both me and my Father.”

 

Ephesians 2:10  For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.

 

10.  Christ wanted them to know that they hated Him because He fulfilled the Scripture.  “But this cometh to pass, that the word might be fulfilled that is written in their law.”  When we fulfill scripture, they will not like us either.

 

John 19:36  For these things were done, that the scripture should be fulfilled, A bone of him shall not be broken.

 

11.  Christ wanted them to know that they hated Him for no good reason.  They just hated Him!  “They hated me without a cause.”

 

Luke 23:41  And we indeed justly; for we receive the due reward of our deeds: but this man hath done nothing amiss.

 

12.  Christ wanted them to know that He was still their Friend in persecution.  John 15:14  Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you.

 

Romans 8:29  For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.

 

James 4:4  Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.