The way I heard it, after Andy was picked up at the airport and had a Philly cheesesteak, the first, of course, The first thing that he said is, how far is Washington, D.C.? So the Pagankovs took him down to Washington, D.C., showed him all the monuments, got to see the White House, and got to go to the Bible Museum for the first time. And I understand it was a great experience. But after church today, don't run out of here. You'll want to stay and listen to Pastor Andy talk more about Haiti. And I know you all are dying to know more about what he's doing over there in Haiti, right? Yes. OK, so hang out after church today. You'll be able to hear some more about that. Well, let's turn our attention back to the gospel according to John. We've been making our way verse by verse through this book. And I'm excited now that we're nearing the end of chapter 15. And as you turn there, let me ask you a question. When was the last time someone asked you to define the word Christian? When was the last time you even thought to define the word Christian? You know, there are lots of people around the world who wouldn't even think to define it the way that you do. You know, it only appears three times in the Bible. It appears once in Acts 11, once in Acts 26, and then another time in 1 Peter. That's it, only three times. And in Acts 11, We find out exactly when, the moment in history, when the first time the word Christian was ever used. Take a look at it on the screen real quickly with me. Acts 11 says this, and a great many people were added to the Lord. That means they're becoming Christians. So Barnabas went to Tarsus to look for Saul. And when he found him, he brought him to Antioch. For a whole year they met with the church and taught a great many people. And in Antioch, take a look church, the disciples were first called what? Christians. That's the moment in human history when that word first appeared. The disciples We're now called Christians. So who cares what the world says a Christian is? Let's get our definition right from the Bible. A disciple, that means a learner, a student, a follower of a rabbi, that's what this word means. It's someone whose job is to listen to this, imitate their teacher. And I mean imitate. If he does this, you do this. It's whatever he says, I say. Whatever he thinks, I think. I'm learning to model my life after them. Here's the exact definition. If you have a Bible dictionary like I use, I've told you I use Baker's Bible Dictionary. Here's the definition you'd find of the word Christian. Look on the screen. It is belonging to the party of Christ, or follower, student, imitator of Christ. That's what the word means. So I started off that way this morning to get you to the position to ask this question. If you, listen closely to me, if you call yourself that, Christian, imitator of Jesus, and your whole goal in life as a Christian is to imitate him, say what he said, what do you think you should expect that the world will do to you or say to you, how do you think the world will respond to you if you actually imitate him exactly as he is? That's what they did to him. So if you actually were perfect, You're not. But if you were perfect in imitating Him, what should you expect? The world did that to Him. So if you say, I wanna do as He did, love as He loved, say what He said, think how He thought, preach where He preached, walk where He walked, what should you expect? Well, as we're making our way to the point where the crucifixion is in the Gospel of John, we're just a few hours away, Jesus is teaching the last few lessons to His disciples, and look what He says next. John 15, here it is on the screen for you. Talking to his band of 11, he says, if the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. If you were of the world, well, then the world would love you as its own. But because you're not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore, the world hates you. Remember the word that I said to you? A servant's not greater than his master. If they persecuted me, they'll also persecute you. If they kept my word, they'll also keep yours. But all these things they will do to you on account of my name, because they don't 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's written in their law must be fulfilled. They hated me without a cause. The title and big idea that I've assigned to this almost the end of chapter 15 comes right from the mouth of your master. Here it is. Shouldn't be a surprise to you. They hated me. They'll hate you. That's the main lesson. Really kind of right on the surface of the passage. You really can't miss it, can you? If you were going to follow to the letter everything that Jesus did, that's what you can expect. You can expect to be executed if you were a perfect, and I mean a perfect follower of Jesus. But none of us is. And so, if we don't expect to be executed, The very least that we could expect if we're trying our best to follow Him, say what He said, believe what He believed, we can expect to be persecuted. You know, that's exactly why the Apostle Paul said to a young pastor named Timothy, he said this, take a look on the screen. He said, indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus, is that you? Is it? Here's what he says you can expect. If you desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus, you will be persecuted. Do you see any room in there for it not to happen? It's a will. It means it's going to happen. If you want to imitate Him, be a Christian Christ imitator, it's going to happen. The world will hate you. Here in John 15, I see a pattern. It's my job as an expository preacher to show you how to identify patterns in your Bible so that you can be a great Bible student. Well, all we need to do to figure out why, have you ever just scratched your beard and go, why does the world hate Jesus? He's love personified. Why would they ever hate him? Isn't that just an obvious question? And I'm trying my best to love people the way that Jesus did. Why would you hate me? I'm a Girl Scout. I'm a Boy Scout. Don't hate me. You ever think that? Why do they hate us so much? Why do they hate my master so much? Well, right here in this passage, he gives us the root cause of the world's hatred. Were you able to identify it? If not, don't fret, I'm gonna show you how to do it. Here's the whole passage on the screen. I know you can't see this, I know it's nice and small, but when I pop out, three causes, the word cause appears three times in this passage. And all I have to do is look at, he says cause, cause, cause, and now I'll know, If I just look around where the word cause is, I'll see the cause of their hatred. That's how we're gonna proceed. Because, because, and cause. I'm gonna show you, when you hit those three words, you're gonna see three causes of why the world hates you and him. Easy enough, right? You ready to get started on this journey? All right, beginning with cause number one. The world hates Christians because, now I've worded this very carefully, because of our allegiance, I pledge allegiance to the, look, because of our allegiance to the agenda of another world. They pledge their allegiance to one agenda, and you're saying, I pledge a higher allegiance to a whole different world. And that's the first cause of why they hate you, because you don't belong here. It's exactly what he says. Take a look at it on the screen. Verses 18 and 19, you'll see it very clearly. Jesus speaking, he says, if the world hates you, the first thing you have to know is it's hated me before it hated you. So in other words, don't be surprised when people hate you because you're a Christ follower. Then he goes on. If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own, but because, here comes cause number one for why the world hates you, Because you're not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. So you know, the root cause of the world's hatred of him first, and now you, who are trying to be his imitator, is because you don't belong here. They know it, and they hate you for it. Let me take you through this. First things first. How many of you have heard the phrase, Christians live in the world, but they're not Oh, you've heard that before? Well, shoot, that's my whole sermon. What should I do now? I had a feeling most of you would have heard that phrase if you grew up in a church like I did. I heard that all the time. I was hoping that most of you have heard that, but I want to explain how to actually live in a world that you're not from. Anybody care about that? Okay, so first let's define some terms here. When Jesus says, you're not of the world, what does he mean by world? Does he mean the dirt, the soil, like this planet? Does he mean not from earth? Because it sure feels like I'm from here. What does he mean? Does he mean the Gentile world? Does he mean the Jewish world? Is this strictly in a Jewish context? What does he mean world? We have to get to the bottom of that. This is gonna be a good part, I hope you're taking notes, because you're gonna learn something here. First, the word that the Apostle John uses is a Greek word, it's kosmos, kosmos, okay? Sound familiar to you, like cosmos? Okay, it's where we get that, our understanding of kosmos, kosmos, but it's not the same thing. We've already seen this word pop up twice in the Gospel of John. I'm going to show it to you, those two occasions. And when we do, we start to get an understanding of what Jesus means when he says, you're not of this world. Take a look at two other references when Jesus already said this just a few days before this. John 12. Jesus speaking again, he says, now is the judgment of this cosmos, this world. Now will the ruler of this cosmos... Oh, so he's not talking about the dirt. He's talking about something that... Who's the ruler there? Remember that from John 12? Who's he talking about? Satan. We dealt with that in John 12. He's saying there's something that Satan is ruling over, and that's what he's talking about. Look at it in John 14 when it came up again. I will no longer talk much with you, for the ruler of this world is coming. So he's not talking about dirt. He's talking about some kind of a world system. And believe it or not, that's exactly what this word kosmos means. Look at this. Kosmos means in John's Gospel an ordered You should jot that down. And that means any kind of a systematic thing that you see as orderly, like made by a manufacturer, in Greek, you can use this word. You want to know how I know that? Peter, oh, this is so interesting to me and why I love the Bible so much. Peter uses this word kosmos to describe jewelry. He uses cosmos to mean jewelry, the same word John is using. And you say, hang on a minute. John uses it to mean world, and Peter uses it to mean jewelry? How in the world could I ever make sense of that? Any orderly system that could not possibly pop up without a creator, mind you, is what he means by cosmos. So John is saying there is an ordered system that is being manipulated, there's an agenda to it, and there's a ruler over it. That world, Jesus says, hates me, and it will hate you too. That's what he's saying here. So when Jesus says, the ruler of this world, you could even jot in the margin, the ruler of this ordered system. That should make a light bulb go off. That's what he's talking about here. There is a system that is being manipulated by a ruler. So when he's talking about being hated, he's talking about a dark spiritual system that resists not only his mission, but his message. So when he says, if you were of the world, the world system, that world system would love you as its own. Now, I want to show you what the rest of the New Testament says about this. The rest of the New Testament makes it abundantly clear that there is an agenda being put forth in this cosmos, this world system, by Satan. Now, I chose just a handful of verses, and all you have to do is determine whether or not you believe what I'm gonna show you. Okay? There is an agenda happening in this cosmos, this world system, and it is Satan's agenda. Have a look at the evidence. You decide whether or not you believe your Bible. Deal? Here we go. Same author, John, in his first letter, he writes this. We know that we are from God and the, say those next two words. The whole world. Oh, so not just a portion of it? Not just the evil people that you think? No, the whole world lies in the power, that means under the influence of the evil one. This is what your Bible teaches. Revelation 12, same author, John again. And the great dragon was thrown down. I can't wait for this day. That ancient serpent who is called the devil and Satan. The deceiver of, now it says just a few of the really, really bad people, right? That's what it says. No, the deceiver of who? So according to John, the same one whom you're getting the facts about Jesus, he says this entire planet, all of the system is under an agenda manipulated by an influencer called the devil. If you're in a Bible church, by the way, if you're going to be in a Bible church, we're going to ask you to believe the whole thing. This is what it says. There's an agenda and a ruler over it. Paul joined with John and taught the same exact theology. Take a look at what he says, 2 Corinthians 4. In their case, talking about unbelievers, the God, lowercase g, of this world, talking about Satan, has blinded the minds of the unbelievers. to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. Again, Paul's saying the same thing as John. There is an influencer who is deceiving the world, and here's the worst part. They don't know they're deceived. One more verse, Ephesians 1, a little longer, talking about us. You, Christians, you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course. Another translation could say system or agenda. It means the same thing. There's a prescribed course, and you were following it like a sheep. following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, a title for Satan, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience, among whom we all once lived, every Christian used to live like that, in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, say this with me, like the rest of mankind. So I think that's enough evidence to prove my point. When Jesus says the whole cosmos, the whole world, since the fall of man has been totally deceived under the systemic influence of the power of a supernatural being that he calls the devil. There is an agenda. So Jesus says, look, if you were of the world, Well, then they'd accept you as a brother. You'd be one of them. You would be... If you just marched the way that they're marching and vote for the policies they vote for and do the things they do, well, then, of course, he is one of us. Come on! Let's go get it done. But he says, you're gonna be going this way while everybody else is going this way. And they'll say, we hate you for it. Christians pledge our allegiance to the agenda of another world. And so, that's why in just two more chapters, you're gonna see your master praying for you. I can't wait to get there. In John 17, and he says this as he's praying. This is Jesus praying for you. He says, Father, I've given them your word, and the world has hated them because they're not of the world. Just as I'm not of the world, I don't ask that you take them out of the world. No, no, no, no, no. But that you keep them from who? from the evil one. Christians, this was my favorite thing from my grandfather that he used to say when he was a preacher for 70 years, by the way. He used to say, Christians, you're aliens. Just a passing through on your way home. He used to love to think of himself as an alien. It is the right way to think about yourself. You pledge your allegiance to the agenda of an entirely different world's system, with a value system that looks nothing like the citizens of this world. And so it shouldn't surprise you that they hate you. Remember what Paul said about where you're actually from when you're born again. When you're born again, your soul dies. It's dead. and you become the citizen of a whole new spiritual realm. Look what Paul said. He says, our citizenship is in heaven. And from it, we await a savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. And that right there, because you are the citizen of a celestial city. Because you are that citizen now. That's why the world hates you. I wanna show you something. Back in 2004, during the election of 2004, not 2024, but during the election of 2004, which was also a bit of a debacle, a talk show personality and a humorist whose name was Garrison Keillor, he went on NPR, National Public Radio, and he said something tongue-in-cheek that I thought was really apropos for this sermon. And I thought, you know what? I'm going to let my people see this this Sunday. Take a look at what he said tongue in cheek, mind you, but it was still said on government funded radio. Take a look at what he said about people like us who know they're not from here. He said this. I'm trying to organize support for a constitutional amendment to deny voting rights to born again Christians. I feel, look at his justification for this, I feel if your citizenship is in heaven, like born again Christians is, well then you should give up your citizenship here. Sorry, but this is my new cause. If born again Christians are allowed to vote in this country, then why not Canadians? Now that was 2004. Do you see his point? He's saying they don't belong here. They have a different agenda. They have a whole different value system because they say they're from a different world. And so let them have their different world and leave us this one. That's what he's saying. Friends, let me say it again. The world hates Christians because of our allegiance to an agenda of another world. If you're so bent on making this world your home, you are gonna be so depressed. Because this isn't your home. And so for each point, each cause that Jesus gives, I want to give you one way, one strategic biblical way to live in this world that isn't your home, but not become of this world. You want to know that, don't you? The first one is really simple. I've already kind of spelled it out for you, but here it is in black and white, or actually in blue. Resist conformity to the world system. And I mean resist. Here's exactly what the Apostle Paul said to you. He said, do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed. How, Paul? How should I be transformed? By the renewal of your mind, that by testing The world says this. What does God say about it? The world wants me to do this and be like this. What does God say? You're testing. By testing, you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. If you want to be someone who lives in this world until the Lord calls you home, but you never become of this world system that's manipulated by an evil one, if you want that, you are going to have to allow the Bible to transform your mind. so that you will think like Jesus, act like Jesus, want what He wants, and not be surprised that the world hates you. Friends, the world hates Christians because we're different. It's pretty simple. We have a different agenda with a completely different motive for living, but there's a second cause, a second reason why the world hates Christians. Here's cause number two. The world hates Christians because of our allegiance, not just to another agenda, but we have an entirely different authority system. They hate us because our authority is above human authority. Let me show it to you right in the text. Jesus speaking again, verses 20 and 21. He says, Remember the word that I said to you. In other words, this is something I've already taught you in our three and a half years together. A servant is not greater than his master. If they persecuted me, they'll also persecute you. In other words, no one is too big or too small to experience persecution. They're going to persecute children. They're going to persecute grown adults. They're going to persecute you when you're nine or when you're 90. If you follow me, mark it down. It's coming for you. Maybe small, maybe large, but it's coming, all because you align yourself with the authority of a name. Look at what he says. If they kept my word, means obey my authority, they will also keep yours. But all these things they will do to you on account of what, church? The name in that culture represents an authority. Rabbis would say, I speak to you in the name of Rabbi so-and-so. I come to you in the name of Rabbi so-and-so. I speak to you in the name of so-and-so. The name represents an authority, okay? because they do not know God who sent me." Here's what Jesus is saying here. There's a trickle-down effect of authority. God the Father sent God the Son to speak on behalf of heaven's throne. And if you speak like God the Son who said, look, you can't know God, I don't care if you're Jewish or Gentile, I don't care who you are in the world, I don't care how much money you got, what kind of car you drive, unless you come through me, you can't know God. Someone who speaks exclusively like that, the world's not gonna like you very much, especially in a tolerate everybody kind of world like we live in. So Jesus wasn't tolerated for very long, only three years of public office before they had him executed. And so he's saying, they don't love my father because they don't love me, and if you follow me, they're just gonna trace you back to him. They'll hate me, they hated my father, they're gonna hate you. It's all because you speak in my name. That's why he said in the rest of the Gospels, take a look at Matthew, you will be hated by all for what reason, church? Say it nice and loud. It's because you declare your allegiance to a higher authority than the world. Christians transcend human authority while we're still under the authority of those whom God has appointed. It's a confusing way to live in the world, isn't it? John, the author of this book, would soon find out what Jesus meant firsthand. Boy, were these boys abused. They were beaten and they rejoiced that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for the name. Can I read you one account of when this happened? It's a little lengthy, but sit back and comfortable. Imagine you're in Barnes Noble for story hour, okay? I want you to hear what John, this author, actually experienced a few years after, not even a year, after Jesus left. First hand, look at what happened, Acts 4. On the next day, their rulers and elders and scribes gathered together in Jerusalem with Annas the high priest and Caiaphas and John and Alexander and all who were of the high priestly family. So this is the government elite, the highest ruling class, okay? And when they had set them in the midst, that's Peter and John, they inquired, by what power or by what name do you do this? They want to know whose authority are you doing what's against our law? Whose authority? Then Peter, oh, I love when Peter speaks, filled with the Holy Spirit, he said to them, rulers of the people and elders. If we're being examined today concerning a good deed done to a crippled man, like by what means this man has been healed, well then let it be known to all of you and to all the people of Israel that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead, by Him this man is standing before you well. You love Peter, don't you? Oh, I wish I could have been there to hear him say this. This Jesus is the stone that was rejected by you, the builders, which has become the cornerstone. And there is salvation in no one else. For there is no other name, authority given under heaven among men by which we must be saved. And he continues like this. Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John and perceived that they were uneducated common men, they were astonished. And they recognized they've been with Jesus. So they called them and charged them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus. It's all about authority. They hated him because he claimed to speak on behalf of the highest authority in the universe. They hated you, just like Peter and John, because you align yourself with that same highest authority. If you live with a supreme allegiance to the authority of Jesus as your king, it's going to mean conflict. These first followers of Jesus, listen closely because this is gonna be important. Because they had Jesus as their king and the highest authority of their lives, they lived with a different set of values, a value system that looked different from the world. And so they were gonna have to put on display by how tightly they clinged to the things of this world, like houses and clothing and cars, the things that the world values as a part of their worldview and their value system. Christians, we're gonna have to say, we're gonna have to show the world that we salute a different commander and that we're living for a different authority with a different agenda and that means we're gonna have to hold on very loosely to our possessions and belongings. A different value system that comes from a different authority. Are you following me? And so for this second cause of why the world hates you, I want to give you a second way, like these first boys, to live in the world and not become of the world. And it's going to have something to do with how you hold on to your possessions, especially when someone comes to try to take them away from you, which hasn't happened to us yet, but it's happening to him. When they come to try to burn down our church or take our houses away, Here's what I want to show you. The second way to live in the world, not of the world, is to resist the snare of civil disputes. And I'm going to show you exactly why I wrote this the way that I did. Resist the temptation to get involved with arguments over things that are temporary and say, Take what you will because you can't take from me what I actually own. I want to give you some food for thought, something that will really make you think about how these first followers of Jesus declared with a very loud voice that they have a different value system. Look at what the author of Hebrews said about these first followers of Jesus. Don't blink, this is so important. But recall the former days. When after you were enlightened, that means when you first became a Christian and the eyes of your heart were open to the truth, you endured a hard struggle with sufferings, just like we heard is happening in Haiti. Sometimes being publicly exposed to reproach. They're hated. Do you see that here? He's reminding them of what used to happen. And affliction. So they're hated, they're being reproached in public, they're being afflicted, they're suffering. Look at what they did as a response when they came for their property. Look at this. and you joyfully, that word is key, accepted the plundering of your property. Stop right there. They what? They joyfully accepted the government coming in and taking their property? Yes, they did, because their Christian witness was more important. Burn my house down. You are not gonna get me to recant my faithfulness to Christ. Take what you will, take my life, take my family, I belong to a higher authority. We have something to learn from these first followers of Christ, don't we? They joyfully accepted the plundering of their property. And here's why. Since you knew that you yourselves had a what, church? A better possession. And an abiding one. Now this doesn't imply hear me out before someone comes running up to argue with me at the end. This doesn't imply that Christians are to live as doormats. It doesn't imply that you can't defend your property. What it does imply is that you are to keep a very loose grip on the things that the world treasures. As a matter of fact, if one Christian on this side of the aisle has an argument with somebody on this side of the aisle and they owe each other money, you shouldn't have civil disputes with each other. Take a look at what the Apostle Paul wrote. When one of you has a grievance against another, a civil dispute, that's what that phrase actually means, owe you money. Does he dare go to law before the unrighteous instead of the saints? In other words, Christians were having fights over property rights and other civil matters, and they were bringing their complaints to civil courts instead of solving the matter under the authority of Christ. And when they do it, they're declaring that Caesar's system is better than Christ's system. Look what he says to shame these people. He says, to have lawsuits at all with one another is already a defeat for you. Now look what he commends to them. Why not rather suffer wrong? Why not rather just be defrauded? In other words, if someone's gonna steal your shirt, give them your jacket also. Don't go to court against each other, because then the world's looking and going, they're just like us. They say they're so different. They look exactly like us. They can't even handle their own problems. They gotta go to an unbelieving judge to solve their problems. Christians are from another world. They have the same value system. Paul's saying, shame on you. Let Christ be your judge. Stop taking each other to court. Let somebody steal your money. Because the name of Christ is at stake here. I had you start out by defining what a Christian was on purpose. This is what it means. From a different world. Let this one go. The third thing I want to show you is not so much about what Christians love so much, it's about what the world loves. It's about what the world loves that makes them hate us so much. Look at cause number three. The world hates Christians because of their allegiance, not about our allegiance anymore, they have an allegiance to the appetites, the cravings, the pleasures of this world. And Christians are saying, look, I know I used to have those same pleasures. I'm working very hard not to have those anymore. And it exposes what they love as sinful. Take a look at what Jesus said in verses 22 through 25. 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. Time out for just a second. Jesus doesn't mean that prior to his coming, no one knew what sin was. Some people have interpreted that this way. No, they had the conscience and they had the Ten Commandments. People knew what sin was. What he's saying was, now people are able to commit the unforgivable sin. And the unforgivable sin is the rejection of God the Father, God the Son, and God the Spirit, so that they can't be saved. Now that I've come and they know the truth, they can commit the unforgivable sin because they've seen that I am from God. So keep reading. Whoever hates me hates my Father also. If you reject me, you're gonna reject my Father, and by extension, you're rejecting the Holy Spirit whom we're gonna send to save people. If I had not done among them the works that no one else did, they'd not be guilty of sin. My miracles speak for themselves, he's saying. But now they have seen and hated both me and my father, because they've rejected him. But the word that is written in their law must be fulfilled. Here's the third and final cause. They hated me without a cause. In other words, they have no justification for their hatred of me. It's irrational. Have we, have you, during this last month or so, seen anybody irrational for their hatred of truth? No, you probably haven't seen anything like that. He's saying they're completely deceived. If they don't know me, of course they're going to act and say things that are irrational. They don't have access to the truth. They're completely blind, being manipulated by a supernatural being. Have pity on those poor people. They're blind. They hated me without a cause. Way back in John 3, Jesus perfectly explained what he's alluding to here in short form. Let me remind you of what we saw back in John 3. Jesus says this. This is the verdict. The light has come into the world, but men loved the darkness rather than the light. Why? Because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light and doesn't come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed. And we know exactly what the light is, by the way, because John has told us all the way through the gospel. Quick reminder. Jesus says, while I'm in the world, I am the light of the world. And then in John 14, I have come into the world as light so that the one, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness. It's not just that Jesus is the light of the world, you know he said that about you too. In Matthew, take a look at what he says about you. You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden, neither do people light a lamp and put it under a basket. Instead, they set it on a stand. And it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven. Wherever you go on this planet, your light will show the truth of His light. You're like the moon reflecting the source of light, which is the sun, right? The beautiful picture of what a Christian is, the moon. So we are like the moon, reflecting the truth, the light from God when it came into the earth. And so every time you go out into the world, of course the darkness is gonna hate you. Did you pick up there what Jesus said in John 3? He gave two reasons why the darkened world, deceived in loving their sin, hates you. He said it like this. Look at these two reasons. They love evil, and they fear exposure. So if you, a lover of truth, is trying so hard to walk in the light, or even around them, they're gonna sense some spiritual difference, because you love what they hate, and you hate what they love. Peter explained exactly what he expected to happen to him when he got around some of the, remember Peter was a fisherman? And I always like to say, he's probably a blue collar fisherman like the rest of us, had some choice words while he's out there fishing, probably filthy mouth. And I imagine other people who would go around him, hey Pete, I haven't seen you since high school. And Peter is obviously different because he's now a Christian. Look at what he says you could expect from people who used to know you when, look at what he says. With respect to this they, they're surprised when you don't join them in the same flood of debauchery and they malign you. Or a paraphrase says it like this. Of course your former friends are surprised when you no longer plunge into the flood of wild and destructive things they do, so they slander you. That's a great verse, isn't it? I can relate to that. Let's be honest, though. There's no one in this room, there's no Christian who's ever lived, not even the great Apostle Paul, who's without sin. Not one. The difference between you, a redeemed sinner, and the world, who are not forgiven of their sins, here's the only difference. You now have a hunger, an appetite for new spiritual things. You now hate what you used to have an appetite for, and those things you used to crave and chase after, you're like, I know where that leads, and I don't want that anymore. Now that the Spirit is in me, I have this new appetite with new affections for heavenly things. And I'm fighting very hard every day to not go back to that old person I used to be. So I'm not gonna go that way anymore. And the world's like, come on. I know you're not different. You're still the same guy who, you remember what we did when. Just one night, come on. I'm not going that way. I serve a new king. And they'll hate you for it. Because it exposes the darkness that's still in them. And when you invite them in the light, they don't want to go in the light. Because it will mean that they will have to come to the cross. So, one last way. Everybody still with me? One last way, a practical, biblical way to live in this darkened world without becoming part of the world. Here it is. Number three, resist the desire for the world's stuff. It's real plain. It's right in the Bible. Take a look. John, the same author, says this. Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father's not in him. For all that's in the world, remember this is cosmos, the systematic world, the system, the desires of the flesh, the desires of the eyes, and the pride of life, that's not from the Father. It's from the world, the fallen system of Satan. That's what he's saying. If you truly want to model or showcase your celestial citizenship, you will hold very loosely to the possessions that you have. You're not going to crave the things that the world craves. You're going to slowly, listen to this, wean yourself off of all the material things that are owning you rather than you owning them. Because you know very soon, sooner rather than later, I'm losing it all anyway. So let me stop and wean myself off a materialistic outlook of life and a spiritual look on life. Friends, I want to show you some things as we close. You can close your Bibles now, but I want to show you something. It was in 2021 that the last time I gave you some statistics on what's happening around our world. If you think the persecution in the days of John were bad, they were only just getting started. In the 21st century alone, Christian persecution has reached heights it has never reached in the history of mankind. And we are seeing numbers that we have never seen before. The last time I showed you these was 2021. And now that we're knocking on the door of 2025, I thought it might be time to show my people again exactly what's happening around the world. Quickly, take a look at this. Historical Christian persecution, this hasn't changed. I'm going to show it to you every time this comes up. The total martyrs, more than 70 million Christians have been martyred in the course of history. And more than half of that 70 million happened in the 20th century under communist and socialist governments. More than half of the 70 million. 21st century. In the 21st century, roughly, somewhere in the neighborhood of 160,000 Christians were killed each year. 2000 to 2010, roughly 1.93 million Christians were martyred worldwide between those years. That's a few years ago. This is the most recent statistics released by Open Doors USA and World Watch Report on their website. This is 2024. Here we go. Annual martyrs, 4,998 last year. Those are your brothers and sisters whom you will give a hug to in heaven. Arrests and abductions. 4,125 Christians detained without a trial. 3,906 Christians were abducted just last year. And many of them, they barely come up to your knee. Sexual violence. 3,200 Christians were raped, sexually assaulted, or forced to marry men who were two or three times their age. If you have a daughter, just think for a minute if that was your little girl. Displacement. Roughly 300,000 Christians were forced to leave their homes or go into hiding or leave their countries because of persecution. Finally, property attacks like we just heard. 14,766 churches and Christian properties like orphanages destroyed, and that is a 700% increase from the last polling period. 700% increase. Our world is becoming more and more anti-Christ. As we close here this morning, I want to show you a three-minute video so that you can continue to pray for the persecuted people groups around our country. Take a look on the screen and then we'll close our service. Could praying put you in danger? Could going to church risk your life? Could following Jesus cost you your job, your home, or your family? Around the world today, our Christian brothers and sisters are counting the cost of their faith. And these are the 10 countries where the price of following Jesus is highest. Number 10, Afghanistan. The Taliban hunts for hidden networks of believers. Suspected Christians can be arrested, interrogated, and even killed. At number nine, Iran. House churches are seen as a threat to national security. Pastor Anoushehvan has started serving a 10-year prison sentence after 30 agents raided his home. Sudan is at number eight. In the chaos and conflict of civil war, Christians are especially vulnerable. Believers have been attacked, their property looted, and churches closed. Pakistani Christians are seen as second-class citizens. False accusations of blasphemy result in innocent believers facing mob violence. Christian girls continue to be abducted and forced to convert to Islam. Nigeria is at number six. More Christians are killed for their faith in Nigeria than in all the other countries of the world combined. Pastor Zachariah came home one day to find his village attacked and his wife and son murdered by militants. Number five, Yemen. the very small number of Yemeni Christians must worship in secret. House Church leader Salah is on the wanted list. But despite death threats, he courageously continues his ministry. At number four is Eritrea. Christian activities are severely restricted. When Abdullah told people about Jesus, he was sent to prison. The conditions were so terrible that he never came out alive. Libya is number three on the list. Libya considers itself to be a completely Islamic nation. Libyan believers who tell others about Jesus risk arrest and violent opposition. Number two, Somalia. In this highly restrictive Islamic society, even the suspicion of being a Christian is extremely dangerous. Converts who are discovered may instantly pay with their lives. and at number one, North Korea. This remains the most costly place in the world to be a Christian. Even owning a Bible is illegal. Jiho's father was taken away when security agents discovered his secret book. She never saw him again. Christians are sent to appalling labor camps or simply killed on the spot. More than 365 million Christians face high levels of persecution and discrimination. That's one in seven Christians globally, and every one of them a son or daughter, a mother, a father, a child of God. For nearly 70 years, Open Doors has been supporting our persecuted church family, helping them to stand strong. They are counting the cost of following Christ. And with your help, they can keep believing, knowing that Jesus is worth everything. And so Father, we say, along with Open Doors, that Jesus is worth everything. He's worth our allegiance. He's worth our affection. He's worth living for, and He is worth dying for. And so I am so grateful to call myself a Christian, someone who is spending their life trying to imitate the great Christ. And so Lord, as we respond now, we do so remembering the persecuted people groups all over the world, our brothers and sisters, who cannot do what we're about to do so openly for fear of being arrested or worse. Thank you, God, for this country. Thank you, God, that we are free to worship Jesus without fear of persecution. And we pray, Lord, that you would keep us a free nation. In Jesus' name I pray and all God's people said.