Amen. I will now ask you to stand together with me for the reading of the scripture. Our first reading comes from the Old Testament, the book of Proverbs chapter 29, verse 25 to 27. And I want all of you to give your full attention to the reading of the Scripture, especially the one that I'm reading from the Old Testament, what the Word of God tells us concerning the fear of man in this life. The fear of man lays a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord is safe. Many seek the face of a ruler, but it is from the Lord that a man gets justice. An unjust man is an abomination to the righteous, but one whose way is straight is an abomination to the wicked." Now turn your Bible to the Gospel of John, chapter 15. Those of you who are visiting here for the first time, on Sunday mornings we have been going through the Gospel of John, and this morning we will be on chapter 15, verse 18 to 27. Now remember, this is Thursday night, and on the next day, Friday, Jesus will be crucified on the cross. And he continues now to prepare his disciples on how to live their lives here on earth in his absence, physical absence. So that's the context. Always keep that in mind. If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own. But because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. Remember the word that I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master. If they persecute me, they will also persecute you. If they kept my word, they will also keep yours. But all these things they will do to you on account of my name, because they do not 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 sinned and hated both me and my father. But the word that is written in their law must be fulfilled. They hated me without a cause. But when the helper comes whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, he will bear witness about me. And he also will bear witness because you have been with me from the beginning." The word of the Lord. Let's pray together. Our gracious and heavenly Father, as we now come to the preaching and the exposition of your word, Lord, we together as hearers of your word, we pray that the words of our mouth and the meditation of our hearts be acceptable in your sight. Oh Lord, our Rock and our Redeemer. Amen. You may be seated. As a follower of Jesus Christ, what do you expect from the world around you? And I ask you as the church, as the church of Jesus Christ, Here in the world, what do you expect to come to you from the world? Do you expect them to applaud and praise you? Do you expect them to become your friends for being Christians, believers in the Lord Jesus Christ? Now for those of you who have been here last Sunday morning, and those who have studied the Gospel of John before, I want you to observe the irony of what you heard last Sunday and what you're going to hear this morning. Last Sunday we saw Jesus on the last day before his death on the cross. telling his disciples, you are my friends. You remember what Jesus told his disciples. I no longer call you my slaves, my servants, but I call you my friends. You and I have this friendship between us. You are my friends, a friendship where I reveal to you what I heard from my Father. My Father sent me to the world to die for you on the cross, to reconcile you with Him so that you would become the friends of God and His Son, Jesus Christ. What a privilege! Jesus calling his disciples and by extension all of us, his followers, my friends, not my enemies, my friends. You remember God calling Abraham, my friend, in Genesis 18, 17. The Lord said, shall I hide from Abraham, my friend, what I'm about to do? I have this friendship with Abraham. Abraham is my friend in Isaiah 41, 8. But you, O Israel, my servant, Jacob, whom I have chosen, The offspring of Abraham, my friend. Believers are friends of Jesus Christ. Then Jesus told his disciples, as I leave you now behind, you will leave your life in my absence. And Jesus said to them, you are my friends. But I also want you to be friends with one another. Jesus told his disciples, love one another as I have loved you. You see, John 15 is about fruit bearing and about love. Love for God, but also love for one another. Now, I want you all to ask, why is Jesus talking about us loving one another as he was about to die on the cross? Don't you think he had some other things that he would have told his disciples? How to pray, how to fight temptation, how to live a godly life, how to be set apart for God? Why love for one another? Because Jesus knew what was to come to his disciples. He's preparing them not only to love Him, to love one another, but also He's preparing them to face persecution from the world. Listen to Jesus. If the world hates you, Know that it hated me before you. See what Jesus is doing here? He's telling his disciples, in me, you have friendship. In one another, you will have friendship. But in this world, you will have hostility. The world will hate you. The world will persecute you. Why this kind of love among one another? Why is this love so crucial, so urgent for the followers of Jesus Christ? Because they will need one another. They will need the help, and the support, and the prayer, and the encouragement of one another. They will face persecution. And in addition to God, in addition to the Holy Spirit, in times of persecution, Christians need one another. That's what Jesus is doing here. I want you to love one another the way I loved you because you will be persecuted. You will be hated by the world. You will be persecuted by the world. And it is the clear teaching of our Lord Jesus Christ in the scripture, and all his apostles after him attest to that in their teaching, that all who are true disciples of Jesus Christ will be persecuted by the world. Beloved, the question is, is it true? Is it real? The question is why? Why are Christians persecuted by the world? And that's what I would like to explore this morning from our text. And I have for us three guiding points. The first one is the reality of persecution in verse 18. And then the reasons for persecution, verse 19 to 25. And then the helper in times of persecution, verse 26 to 27. So first, the reality. Listen to Jesus. If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own. But because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. Jesus was saying, I'm leaving you in a hostile and hateful world, so be ready. That's what Jesus is doing now. This is the reality of your life. People in the world. Now, the world here is people in the world who hates God. People in the world who uses the system of this world to pursue Christians in hostility. People who come after Christians to harm the children of God. to stop them from worshiping God, to stop them from declaring the truth of God. That's the world here. Now when Jesus said, if the world hates you, He's not implying doubt. Jesus here is not saying it might happen or it might not happen. It's 50-50. That's not what Jesus is saying here. What Jesus is saying here, it's real, it's going to happen to you, and when it happens to you, when you experience it, then know that the world hated me before it hated you. It is not a matter of, can I be persecuted? But when am I going to be hated and persecuted? In John 16, 33, Jesus said, in this world you will have tribulation. You might have tribulation? No. Maybe you will have tribulation? No. In this world, you will have tribulation. In Acts 14, 22, the Word of God says we must, through much tribulation, enter into the kingdom of God. Charles Spurgeon, in his morning and evening devotional booklet, he said this concerning persecution, concerning trials of Christians in this life, and I will quote, God's people have their trials. It was never designed by God when He chose His people that they should be untried people. That has never been God's design for His people. When He chose us, He chose us to be tried. He chose us to be persecuted by the world so that people would see Christ in us. People would see Christ in us and come to salvation, 2 Timothy 3.12. Indeed, Indeed means, as expected, certainly, that's what it means. Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted. This is the reality, beloved. What you as a Christian expect in the world, from the world. Listen carefully, beloved. We don't view the world or people in the world who hate God, who hate the people of God, we don't view them as our enemies. We don't go outside, we don't go everywhere and say, these are our enemies. We view the world as our mission field, not as our enemies, but they view us as their enemies. You see the difference? Because they hate God. Because they hate the Father, and the Son, and they hate the Word of God. We'll come to that. But we don't view them as our enemies. They view us as the enemy, and we'll see why. They don't consider us as their friends, but enemies. Why? Well, some say it is because of our poor public relations. Have you heard that? Some say it is because we don't play nice with the people in the world. Our approach, our method provokes them to be angry toward us. That's the reason why the world hates us. If we can only play nice with people in the world, we can avoid persecution. That's a lie. That's not true. That's not what the Scripture teaches. Let me ask you this. Why did The world persecuted Jesus. Was it because Jesus was not nice? Was it because Jesus was not kind and compassionate? Is there anyone who is perfectly compassionate, perfectly kind than Jesus Christ? He fed the hungry. He healed the sick. He opened the eyes of the blind. And you and I, as his followers, we follow his example. What do we do through our diaconate ministry in the church? We show the love of Christ to those who are poor, to those who are in need. We show compassion. We show kindness. Why do we send missionaries to our mission fields? Why do we establish clinics? To show God's mercy through the work of mercy. And yet, the world hated Christ, persecuted Christ, and the world hates us. It is not because of lack of public relations. It's not because we're not nice, we're not kind. Christians, you know, I'm not saying we are perfect. I'm not saying our approach to the world is always without spot, you know, perfect. I'm not saying that. But we strive to follow the example of our Savior and be kind to all people in the world. So, that notion that says it's because of us, it's because of lack of public relations, you see, according to the teaching of Jesus, that's not true. Let's start with even Jesus and remember how kind and compassionate Jesus was. And the notion also that says, you know, we need to become friends to the world. We need to play sameness, you know, let us be like them, let us act like them, and speak like them, dress like them, and then we'll avoid persecution. The Scripture warns us not to be friends of the world. James 4.4, do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore, whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. Such a serious warning. Be kind to them, be compassionate toward them, but you're not called to make friendship with the world. Jesus didn't do that, and that's not part of your call as a Christian. We're not called to make them our friends. Yes, friends in Christ Jesus, friends to hear the message of the gospel, yes. but not in the expense of the truth of the gospel, not in the expense of our life in Christ Jesus, Christ in us, and you and I in Christ. That brings us to the reasons now. You know, you saw the reality. The reality is they persecuted Jesus, they will persecute us. Jesus said, a servant, a student is not greater than the master. You see what Jesus was telling his disciples? Not only in reference to time, Jesus was not only saying, you know, I was the first one to be persecuted, so of course they will persecute you in time, but also in rank. I, being the second person of Trinity, I, being the perfect one, I, being the perfect, you know, compassionate and merciful teacher and healer, you know, remember who I am. I am the Son of God. I came from heaven. I am perfect. But seeing my rank, seeing who I am, God in the flesh, they persecuted me. You're not better than me. You will follow my footstep. You will be persecuted. That's the reality, the reason. The reason first is in verse 19. Listen to Jesus. If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own. But because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. Reason number one. The world hates us because we don't belong to the world. The world hates us because we are not part of its system. We don't agree with the world. We don't belong to the world. In Ephesians 2.1, Jesus said, in your former life, the Apostle Paul, sorry, said, in your former life, you walked according to the course of this world. That's who you were. Ephesians 5.8, at one time you were darkness, but then you see Jesus came, transformed our life, and gave us a new nature. He separated us from the world. He chose us. You know, God chose us before the foundation of the world in His Son, Jesus Christ. Now, in Christ Jesus, we are new creation. The Holy Spirit dwells in us. Now, we are, we have been separated from the world. We don't belong to the world. In II Corinthians 5.17, Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away. Behold, a new has come. They hate that newness, you see. They hate that newness. They hate the new nature. that says no to all sinful styles and desires that the world propagates. We say no to the things of the world and we love the things of the Lord. You see the difference? And that becomes a reason for hatred. They hate you because you don't belong to the world. We have God as our father and the world has the devil as their father. We don't have the same father. We don't have the same Father. He's our Father, not only because He's our Creator, but also He's our Father because He's our Redeemer. He's not the Redeemer. He's our Redeemer. We're redeemed by the blood of Jesus Christ, not because of anything that was in us, not because we are more holier and smarter than people in the world, but because of His love, because of the work of the Holy Spirit. Now we are a new creation in Christ Jesus. And the world doesn't like that. Romans 8, 9. You, however, are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit. If in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you, anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to Him. See? That's the reason. Does not belong to Him. And because we don't belong to them now, we belong to Christ, you know, they hate that belonging. They hate the fact that we belong to Jesus. They don't want to see us in the kingdom of Christ. Second reason, verse 21, where Jesus told his disciples, but all these things they will do to you on account of my name. Let me ask you this, brothers and sisters in Christ. If the enmity of the world is with Jesus. If the one who hates is Jesus. Jesus is not here now. Jesus is in heaven, sitting at the right hand of his father. So why do they hate us? He's not here in person. Do you know why? Because Christ is in us. Because the church, the believer, is the representative of Christ here on earth. We speak of Christ. We sing of Christ. We testify of Christ. And they don't like that. They don't want to hear that. You see, that's the reason. Because on the account of his name. Do you remember what the enemies of the cross, the enemies of Christ called the disciples in Antioch in Acts 11, 26? And in Antioch, the disciples were first called Christians. Remember, this name was given to the disciples by those outside of the church and was meant to be derogatory. It was an insult. It was an attack toward the disciples, toward the church. They are Christians. They follow that man. We hate them. That was the attitude. They are Christians. They were not commending them. They were insulting them on the account of the name. Brothers and sisters in Christ, you carry the name of Christ on you. You have the name of Christ in your life, on you as a Christian. That's why they hate Christians. When they see the church, hear the church, they see and hear Jesus. John 3, 19, Jesus tells us, people in the world. love darkness more than light, because their works are evil. You see what the church does through the preaching of the Word of God, through the testimony of the gospel, exposes the sins of the people in the world. They don't like that. They hate us on the account of His name. Third reason Verse 22 to 24. Listen to Jesus. This is what he told his disciples in verse 22. 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 sinned and hated both me and my father. So two reasons, you know, are together now. First, they hate us because they hate the Word of God. You and I as believers, we stand for the Word of God. We love the Word of God. We declare the Word of God. So because we declare the Word of God, and the Word of God exposes them to their sin, they hate us because what we proclaim to them. They hate the Word. It's not you, you see. It is what you proclaim. It is, for what you stand, the Word of God. They hate the Word of God. They hate the Bible. I have met people with whom I try to share the Gospel. People who always tell me, I don't want to read the Bible. And he asked them why. I asked an older man one time, why don't you want to read the Bible? When he told me, I have the Bible in my house, right beside my bed, but I don't read it. And we pressed it, we pressed it, and we asked him why. And he told us, if I open it, it will expose me to my sin. They hate the word. That's the reason why I hate the children of God. But then they hate you, they persecute you because they hate both the Father and the Son. Have you heard people telling you, you know, I don't have any problem with religion. I don't have any problem with God. My problem is with Christ, the Lordship of Christ. You know, living my life under his lordship, him ruling over my life, telling me what to do in life. You know, I don't have any problem with religion. I don't have any problem with God. I can come to church. I can worship God. My problem is Jesus. And Jesus is saying, if you hate my father, you hate me. You can't separate the Father and the Son. You can't love the Father and hate the Son. And you can't love the Son and hate the Father. And Jesus said, they hate you, they persecute you because they hate the Father and the Son. That's the reason, you see. That's the reason. They hate the church. They hate the children of God for all these reasons. And Jesus was telling his disciples, this is what you should expect in the world. This is what you should expect from the world. They're not going to love you. As far as you strive in this life to live a godly life, to become a testimony of Jesus Christ, they're not going to love you, they will hate you. If you compromise, yes. If you play sameness, you know, act like them, dress like them, speak like them, as a method of evangelism, reaching out the world by, you know, becoming like them, speaking like them, dressing like them, no! That's friendship. making friendship with the world, making God your enemy. So they're not going to love you for standing for the truth, for telling them there is only one way of salvation. Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life. As far as you proclaim that and stand for that truth, you will be hated and persecuted. Lastly now, you see, imagine Jesus telling his disciples, I'm leaving you, I'm going to be crucified, then I will be raised from the dead and sent to heaven and be with my father, so you're not going to have me here on earth. So I just want to tell you that after I'm gone, you'll be persecuted. After I'm gone, they will take you to the synagogue. They will accuse you falsely. You'll be persecuted. So I just want to let you know this. And when I go to my father, I will always pray for you. Goodbye. If that's what Jesus did with the disciples, how would you feel? But that's not what Jesus did. Jesus told them this. Listen to Jesus. It's so uplifting, so encouraging to hear Jesus telling his disciples that he was leaving them with a helper. He was leaving them with the Helper, the Helper, the Holy Spirit. Listen to Jesus. But when the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, he will bear witness about me, and you also will bear witness, because you have been with me from the beginning. This is so good, so uplifting, brothers and sisters in Christ. Jesus didn't just leave without this promise. Jesus is telling them here, I'm leaving you with the helper. You will be persecuted, you will be hated, but remember the Holy Spirit dwells in you and He's dwelling in you to help you in times of persecution by doing two things. First, He will tell you the truth. He will tell you the truth. He will tell you the truth about the world. And when you are persecuted, He will give you words to speak. Isn't that what Jesus told his disciples? They will take you to the synagogue, they will accuse you falsely. Do not worry about what to say. The Holy Spirit will teach you. Think about that. You are standing before the ruler, and the ruler is asking you to give a reason for your faith, to your faith. Now are you going to take your pen and your notebook and then the Holy Spirit will teach you and you will take a note and then you finish a class and then you will respond? No, no, no. Jesus was saying He will be right there giving you words that you need to speak. Words for the time. words to testify about my Son, about the Son of God, Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit will give you all the strength that you need. So the Holy Spirit will teach you, He will tell you the truth, but also He will give you boldness. He will make you bold and courageous before the world that will persecute He said, I'm not leaving you without a helper. He will tell you the truth. He will teach you the truth. But also he will grant you, he will give you boldness. Sometimes you and I. In our persecution, in us facing hatred from the world, we wrestle with boldness, yes? We wrestle with boldness. If I say this to my boss, he might fire me. If I say this to my family member, our relationship might be damaged. So I would rather, you know, keep silent. I would rather not say anything about my belief. Pray for boldness from the Holy Spirit. He dwells in you to make you bold, wise, and to speak the truth in love. That's the reason why Jesus told his disciples, I will ask my Father and I will send you the Holy Spirit to dwell, to live with you, for how long? Forever. Forever. Until I come back in glory, He will dwell with you forever to do what? To help you. To come alongside of you and help you in times of persecution. So beloved, persecution, the hatred of the world is real. It's real. Don't even try to downplay persecution. It's a reality. It happened to Jesus, it will happen to us. If it didn't happen to some of you yet, it's just a matter of time. We don't know when, but it will happen to you. As far as you live your life in a godly way for the glory of God, for the testimony of the gospel, you will be persecuted. When you doubt, when you wrestle with fear, with fear, The fear of man, remember what I read from Proverbs? The fear of man lays a snare. It lays a snare. It takes you backward. It makes you a coward. The fear of man. But if you trust the Lord and be guided by the Holy Spirit, and help God through the Holy Spirit to make you bold in the face of persecution, then you will become a believer who will make a difference in this world. Amen. Let's pray. apply them in our Christian life. When we face persecution, when we experience hatred from the world, help us to be bold, to be humble, kind, loving, but bold to testify to the world about your Son, Jesus Christ. Your boldness, our boldness comes from you. So Lord, help us to believe in the reality of persecution, but also in the fact that the Holy Spirit is in us, as our helper, to make us bold and courageous in times of persecution. Lord, in the name of Christ, your Son, we pray. Amen.