Did you get that up there? Okay. The Bible says John chapter 15. John chapter 15. In these verses in John, the Lord Jesus talks about the world. So before we read, the verse, I'd like to kind of define the world as Jesus is talking about it here. Now, I've, I guess you'd say, taken a stance as of lately that the age that we live in today I would say is completely defined by deception. Deception is everywhere. It's in everything. It's in every institution that we see in this age. So much so that people expect to be deceived. We expect that the advertising that we see is somewhat false. Things that are advertised are not going to hold up to what they say. We see it certainly in the government, our current government. Pragmatism, moral relativism, They use these to justify even those who would claim to be righteous in some ways, would claim to be trying to be righteous, they use these things to justify their own deception. And the world, that we're gonna read about in the following verses, is the words and the works and the deeds of men. That's what the world is that Jesus is referring to. Interesting thing about the world is, interesting is not really the proper word to use probably for this, but the world will unite against God, the true God, will unite against Jesus and will unite against Christians. The irony is once they felt they had defeated these, they would turn and devour each other. Imagine if God were to remove his restraining power, even the restraining power that he exercises over lost men in their dealings with each other. That thought should invoke horror and create an urgency to preach the gospel to anyone and to everyone that you love or you have concern for. John 15 verses 17 through 25, these things I command you that you love one another If the world hates you, you know that it hated me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, I chose you out of the world. Therefore, the world hates you. Remember the word that I said to you, a servant is not greater than his master. If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they kept my word, they will keep yours also. But all these things they will do to you for my name's sake, because they do not know him who sent me. If I had not come and not spoken to them, they would have no sin, but now they have no excuse for their sin. He who hates Me hates My Father also. If I had not done among them the works which no one else did, they would have no sin, but now they have seen and also hated both Me and My Father." But this happened that the word might be fulfilled which is written their law. They hated me without cause. When Jesus Christ was getting ready to leave this world, He told His disciples in John chapter 14, verses 1-4, Let not your heart be troubled. You believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father's house are many mansions. If it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you, and if I go to prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also. and where I go you know and the way you know." Now we have to agree that that certainly will be a great day when that comes to fruition for us as Christians. What a great promise that we have given there in John 14 to dwell on. It's a promise that we should dwell on. It is our blessed hope and hopefully We would wake up each day saying to ourselves, perhaps this will be that day. But this is not the thing that this, but this is not the only thing Christ promised us. He also promised his disciples as they went in the world as his ambassadors and ministers to the world, they would be, the world would hate them. Has this, has this come true? Absolutely, we know it's come true. Over the centuries, millions of Christians have been martyred strictly for their faith. In fact, we know that it's been estimated that in the last century, more Christians have been martyred for their faith than had been martyred for their faith in all the centuries prior to that. So why would they hate His disciples? Why would the world hate us? And especially why would the world hate us for coming to them in obedience to Christ in an attempt to help them? This brings us back to the passage here, back to John 15, where Jesus very clearly lists for us several different reasons why this is so. So what was the first reason? The first reason was the world would hate us because we are not of this world, John 15, 17-19. So what is this all about? We, like the world, were enemies of God and were the participants in an active rebellion against God. But when we made peace with God through faith in Christ, We were no longer a part of that rebellion and by definition were therefore no longer a part of this world. So if this was the first reason, then what's the second reason? The second reason is this. The world hates us because the world hates Christ. John 15, 20. So what does this have to do with the world hating us? Simple. Since the world hates Christ, they will hate us because we are, in fact, His ambassadors. We are the conduit. We are the reflection of His life. So as we go forth in the world as His ambassadors, as His conduit, as His reflection of His life, the world will hate us. They have to hate us because they hate Christ. but that is not the end of it. The world hates us not only because we are not a part of it. The world hates us not only because the world hates Christ, but there's a third reason. I would hope that as we consider the third reason, that we might not only have a greater appreciation for the potential hostility that is in this world toward us as Christians, but that we might even in the light of this have a growing appreciation of the world's hostility that we'd be that much more determined to be what Christ has called us to be and to do what Christ has called us to do. So what's the third reason for the world's hatred of Christians? The world hates us because they do not know God. In John 15 verses 21-25. There are millions, probably billions of people doing all sorts of deeds. Making pilgrimages. Climbing steps. Like we talked about this morning in Sunday school. Doing harm to their bodies. trying to in some way or some fashion to worship some God, to worship God, but the sad fact is that they don't even know Him. And those who do not know Him will ultimately hate those who do if they are put in certain circumstances. How do we know this? John 15.21, but all these things they will do to you for my name's sake, because they do not know the one who sent me." So do we see the world's hatred of Christians in this verse? Of course. If the world did not hate Christians, then the world would not persecute Christians. So why does the world hate Christians? They hate Christians not only because Christians are not a part of this world, they hate Christians not only because they hate Christ, but they also hate Christians because they do not know the One who sent Christ. In other words, they do not have a proper understanding of who God is. Isn't that exactly what John 15, 21 says? But why would the world hate us simply because they do not know God? We can answer that question by asking another question. Does the world want to hear that they don't know the true God? Does the world want to hear that there's a righteous, a holy, a needless God? A God that doesn't have any needs? A God who will call every person to account for their life? No, I don't think so. Not at all. I don't think the world likes to hear that. I don't think they want to hear that. And there's a good reason why they would not want to hear that. It's destabilizing. If people think that everything is good between themselves and God, they can imagine that they're fine with God, it's likely that they're going to have this almost insurance policy they feel they can then turn to when life gets tough. But if suddenly you point out this God to them, you point out the true and the living God, then they suddenly realize that they have nothing to turn to on their own. That they've offended a God and that God's wrath lies on them. not only in their immediate, but in their future. So what does the world not want to hear? They do not want to hear that they don't know God. In other words, they do not want to hear that they do not have a proper relationship with God. But even though the people of this world may not want to hear that they do not know God or do not have a proper relationship with God, it is still the truth. And if we, as Christ's ambassadors, are committed to declaring this truth, what will be the response of this world? They will hate us. We shouldn't be surprised that the world hates us when Jesus lays it out for us here so vividly. They will hate us because they do not want to be told that they do not know the true God. Consider this question. When someone does not know God or has no proper relationship with God, whose fault is it? Whose fault? Who's at fault? It's their fault. If people do not know God, it's because they have chosen, in their unrighteousness, not to see what God has revealed about Himself. Turn to Romans 1, verse 18. Romans 1, verse 18. Certainly we can see this in regards to creation. Romans 1. Verse 18. For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness. Because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them. For since the creation of the world, his invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse. So has God made himself known through creation? Absolutely. He declares it here. And how has the world, by and large, responded to what he has revealed of himself through his creation? I mean, think about the culture at large, the culture around you. Think about the institutions of higher learning. Think about how, what do they do? Do they encourage the study? And the complicated nature of everything around them, they try to make it seem as though it's a simple thing and that they're wise to it and they can go back. No, not only do they take creation, And if you've followed much, you know, over the years, it's been interesting to watch as they needed, for example, in creation, they needed a million years, and then they needed millions of years, and they needed billions of years, and they needed, and it just goes on and on and on, because they need more time, because in intellectual honesty, they have to admit that this time frame that they're trying to work in has to be wider and wider and wider. And the truth is, if they were to be completely intellectually honest, they would admit that these things, they're not possible. They're not plausible. These things aren't possible. So we see that through the world's reaction to creation. Creation declares God's glory. Look at what God has made. Look at how all these things in the world, all these things that work together for our good, to sustain us, they've chosen to suppress the truth in righteousness. They've done this not necessarily denying the fact, too, in many cases, that there is a God, although some have, in fact, done it, but rather, they've chosen this primarily by not responding appropriately to what God has revealed about himself in creation. Romans 1, verse 21, what does it say? For even though they knew God, They did not honor Him as God, they did not worship Him as God or give thanks. In other words, in spite of all that He revealed of Himself through creation, they still wanted to do whatever they wanted to do. When they wanted to do it, in the way they wanted to do it, even though they knew that what they were thinking, what they were feeling, and what they were doing would be displeasing to God. So let's think about this question again. about what God has revealed through His creation. Whose fault is it if people do not know God, if they do not have a proper relationship with God? It is their fault. And therefore they stand before God in the judgment When they stand before God in judgment and they are condemned, they will not have anyone else to blame but themselves. God is not hiding himself from this world. He has been revealing himself to this world, but the world continues to reject God by suppressing the truth in unrighteousness, whether that is by denying the truth that he has revealed about himself outright, or simply not responding appropriately to the truth that God has revealed about himself. And this response by the world to what God has revealed about Himself through creation and through other means, I believe very graphically demonstrates the fact that they truly do not know Him. For if they truly knew Him, how would they respond? They'd be responding in a different way to the truth that He's revealed to them about Himself. So what about this question? What is the greatest expression of the world's rejection of God's revelation in respect to himself that could possibly be expressed? there is no greater expression of the world's rejection of God's revelation in respect to himself than in the rejection of Jesus Christ, the light of the world. John 3, verses 19 through 20. John chapter 3, verses 19 through 20. And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed." When creation and what it reveals about God is compared to Christ, and what he has revealed about God it is only a dim light in comparison this brings us back to our passage after telling his disciples that the world would persecute them because the world did not know the one who had sent him or did not know his father he goes on to prove this by pointing out to his disciples how the world had rejected him or more precisely how the world rejected certain specific things about him even though He Himself was the light of the world and therefore the perfect expression of His Father in the world. So what are those specific things? First of all, the world in rejecting Christ rejected His words in verse 22, 15-22. He says, If I had not come and spoken to them, the first thing Christ pointed that the world rejected was what He had spoken to them. Of course, we know that the world had not simply rejected what he was speaking to them. But most importantly, they had rejected what Christ's father was speaking to them. This helps us then to understand the next phrase. What does it say? If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not have sin. So what did he mean? What do you mean by this? Did he mean that if he had not come and spoken to them, they would not have been sinners? This obviously cannot be the truth, since the Scriptures are clear that all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. So then what did He mean when He said, if I had not come and spoken to them, they would not have sinned? When Christ told His disciples if He had not come and spoken to the world, they would not have sinned, He meant that they would not have to answer for the specific sin of rejecting His words or the words of His Father. then he drives home further in the next verse he who hates me hates my father christ and his father are inseparably linked they are in fact one therefore to reject the words of christ is to reject the words of the father or in the words of john fifteen twenty three he who hates me my he hates my father also and His Father are one and the same. But Christ was not simply satisfied by highlighting the rejection of His words. There's another very specific way that the world had expressed their rejection of Him. John 15, 24. If I had not done among them the works which no one else did, they would have no sin. But now they have seen and also hated both me and my Father." The world rejected his works. Not just his words, but his works. This is the same line of thought that Christ introduced in John 15, verse 22, just as the words of Christ were also the words of his Father, so were Christ's works also the works of his Father. John 1, verse 18, John 1, verse 18 says, No one has seen God at any time. The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him. So to reject the one was to reject the other, and to hate the one was to hate the other. So in light of that, think about this. Are the Jews today who have rejected Christ worshiping the same God that we're worshiping? I really think you might be surprised if you presented that in some Western churches. You can move on and say, are the Muslims who have rejected Christ and worshiping the same God, are they worshiping the same God that we're worshiping? Now that one, you're gonna get a quicker response on, most likely. Is anyone who has rejected Christ either by flat-out denying or by not appropriately responding with the scriptures that are revealed about Christ's person or work, worshiping the same God that we come in here to worship? If they deny certain things about what Jesus revealed through His work and His words, No, no they're not. In fact, they don't even know him. It's deadly. It's, I'm afraid, much more deadly than what we even realize, than what even comes to our mind when we first think about it. There are many, many people today, and I would say it was large, I'd say that I could point to several things that I think may be the cause, but presenting that about the Jews, the Jews of today worshiping the same God. How serious of a sin, how serious of a sin is it to reject God's fullest revelation of Himself to this world? Is it more serious than lying? Is it more serious than stealing? Is it more serious than murder? Of course, there's nothing that's any more serious than rejecting God's revelation of himself to this world. Why? Because rejecting God's full revelation of himself will very likely make a person's future judgment certain. Turn to Hebrews chapter 6. We've been through this. We were just recently through this, but Hebrews chapter 6. Hebrews chapter 6 and verse 4. For it is impossible for those who are once enlightened, and have tasted the heavenly gift, and have become partakers of the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come, if they fall away, to renew them again in repentance, since they crucify again for themselves the Son of God and put Him to an open shame." Who is this speaking about? Who is he speaking about here? Who is Hebrew speaking to? verse 6, chapter 6, verse 4, speaking about someone who had in fact at one point, is it speaking of someone at one point who had been genuinely saved but lost her salvation? Of course not, because the scriptures teach clearly that that would not be the case. This would be contrary to everything that the New Testament teaches about the security of the believer. Rather, this passage here in Hebrews is speaking of someone who's been exposed to the words and the works of Christ and had understood the significance of those words and works, but had chosen to reject them. In other words, the person that the writer of Hebrews is speaking about is one who, in the face of total revelation, has exercised total rejection. It would be like someone who had been among us for many years listening to the truths about the person of Christ and the works of Christ, and even agreeing that all that would have been shared was true, while at the same time enjoying the outpouring of praise and witnessing the transformation in the lives of those who not only professed faith, but who was in fact walking by faith, but then just walked away. They had, in a very real sense, tasted of the heavenly gift and been partakers of the Holy Spirit in a certain sense, but they never committed themselves to Christ. Christ had never done a work in their heart to change them. They'd be very much like Judas. the interpretation of this passage than we see in Hebrews 6, 9, where it says, But, beloved, we are convinced of better things concerning you and things that accompany salvation. And one of the things that would certainly accompany salvation would be what? Perseverance. So why did the world reject the words and the works of Christ when Christ was here on earth? One answer is given us in John 1525. Psalm 35 verse 19 and Psalm 69 verse 4 prophesied the world would hate Christ without cause and Christ is confirming in John 1525 exactly what in fact happened. But they have done this that they have done this in order that the word may be fulfilled that is written in their law, they hated me without a cause. The rejection of Christ's words and works had nothing to do with any imperfection with Christ in respect to his words or his works. It was completely because of their own wickedness and the hardness of their heart. The world hates Christians. They hate Christians because Christians are not a part of this world. They hate Christians because the world hates Christ. And finally, as we've seen, the world hates Christians because they hate Christ's Father. We will not be aware of this hatred if we're a friend of the world, but if we do, in fact, by the grace of God, begin to set ourselves apart from this world as Christ's ambassadors, making his words and works known, we should not be taken off guard. We shouldn't be taken back. We should completely expect to encounter that hatred in some form or fashion on a regular basis. God has chosen by His own, in His own sovereign will, to save us out of this world. He's done it. We should worship God in awe. We should obey Him in gratitude and we should follow His commands to preach the gospel to every living creature. Christians, you do not truly love your friends and family if you have not admonished them to repent and believe in the one true living God. Now, and this idea of the world and being a friend of the world. You read many things when it comes to a Christian's relationship to the world, how a Christian should interact in this world, what things are appropriate for Christians to do. I read an extensive, very interesting 16, 18 page paper this week about a man that I have read many things from, had wrote, and it was concerning Christians and being involved in the culture, going to movies and that things. And while I was reading it, I realized that I personally know many people that fall on both sides of this issue of how much involvement the Christians should have in the culture. But this whole idea of the world is, the people that, the idea of being separated from the world is, do you love the world or do you love Christ? And you cannot love both. May God give us the grace as the ambassadors of Christ to go joyfully into a hostile world, proclaiming the works and the words of Christ. And may we do it with gladness and thanksgiving. Let's go, Lord, in prayer. Our Heavenly Father, we thank You, Lord, for Your Word to us, that we are not blindsided by the things of this world, that You have prepared us and that You have given us a mandate here, Lord, and that we should do these things, looking for the things that You've put before us, that we may preach the truth, that we may stand firm, Father, not because we look to be glorified or edified in some way, but Father, that we look to glorify our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, to hold true to His teachings, His words to us, His example that we've been given. Father, use us here help us to see, Lord, just how fast that this time that you've given us here to be your ambassador is going by, and Lord, that we would see an urgency as we look around us to preach the gospel, that we'd not be distracted by the many things that there are to take and steal away our affections our love and our time. Father, help us to be what You have commanded us to be. Help us to reflect our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. May men see us and see His works in our lives. And may You use that as the vehicle that You give us to deliver Your Word, deliver Your Gospel. May You even grant us here in this place the opportunity to see many sons and daughters brought into glory. Before I ask all this, in the name of our Savior, Lord Jesus Christ, amen. Open your hymnals now to hymn number 580. Hymn number 580. We'll sing all four verses. Attendeth my way, when sorrows like St. Billows roam,