In our text today
Jesus addresses both the disciples (and by extension all believers) and the
world.
·
In vss. 18-21
Jesus addresses certain implications for the disciples given their relationship
with Him.
·
Specifically,
he says they are not of this world.
o We will see how this relates to our Position
and Place in Christ.
·
In vss. 22-25,
Jesus addresses the implications for the world given their relationship with
Him.
o And yes, the world does indeed have a Position
with regards to Christ.
1) POSITION AND PLACE OF THE DISCIPLES
John 15:18–21 (ESV) — 18
“If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. 19 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. 20 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 also keep yours. 21 But all these things they will do to you on account of my
name, because they do not know him who sent me.
Jesus has spent much
of the Farewell discourse comforting the disciples – see John 14.
·
Last
week He spoke of the intimate relationship they have with Him.
·
One
rooted in a love for Him and for each other.
·
Now he
prepares them for what they will experience given their relationship with Him.
He shares at least four
things with them.
·
1) He
tells them “if the world hates you”
it is because it hated Him first (vs. 18).
·
2) He
tells them they will not be loved by the world because they are “not of the world” (vs. 19).
o To be loved by the world is to be in it
·
3) He
tells them the world “will also
persecute you” just as it has persecuted Him (vs. 20).
·
4) He
tells them they will face all of this on “account of my name” (vs. 21).
But there is an
upside to number 3.
·
The
upside is that the reverse is also true.
·
“if they kept my word, they will also keep
yours” (vs. 19).
·
In other
words, there will be those that will “hear” the word of God.
·
Acts 18:9–10 (ESV) — 9 And the Lord said to Paul one night in a
vision, “Do not be afraid, but go on speaking and do not be silent, 10 for I am with you, and no one will
attack you to harm you, for I have many in this city who are my
people.”
These are all
straightforward enough.
·
But I
think it is important to dig a little deeper into Jesus’ words in verse 19.
What is Jesus conveying when He speaks of the disciples
being “not of the world”?
·
His
words seem to have a least a two implications.
The first
implication is something that Jesus has spoken of continuously since John 3,
and the second is implied throughout the Gospel of John and is mentioned
in 3 verses.
·
They are
(1) our Position in Christ and (2) our Place in Christ.
·
The Position
is necessary to have access to the Place!
To get an idea of
our Position in Christ, we will look at how John contrasts it with the
world.
1) A description of
the person’s Position in Christ.
·
“born of the flesh is flesh” vs. “that which is born of the Spirit is spirit”
– John 3:6
·
“condemned already” vs. “not condemned” – John 3:18
·
“hates the light” vs. “comes to the light” – John 3:20-21
·
“does not honor the Son does not honor the
Father” vs. “honor the Son,
just as they honor the Father” – John 5:23
·
Do not
believe Moses vs. believe Moses would believe Jesus – John 5:45ff
·
Not
drawn by the Father vs. drawn by the Father – John 6:44
·
Do not
hear the word of God because “you are
not of God” vs. “whoever is of
God hears the words of God” – John 8:47
In John, all of
these things describe someone who:
·
Is born
again through the Spirit.
·
Believes
that Jesus who He says He is.
·
Believes
that Jesus’ words are the Father’s words.
·
Believes
that Jesus’ deeds are the Father’s deeds.
So to be “not of the world” involves all these
things in the life of the believer.
·
Our born
again heart and belief in Christ position us so that we no longer walk
in darkness; are no longer condemned; and are able to “hear” His words; and
honor the Father; etc.
Yet along with our position,
“not of the world” also
involves a place.
·
The
Kingdom of God
2) A description of
a person’s Place with Christ.
·
John 3:3 (ESV) — 3 Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say
to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.”
·
John 3:5 (ESV) — 5 Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to
you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the
kingdom of God.
·
John 18:36 (ESV) — 36 Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not of this
world. If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would have
been fighting, that I might not be delivered over to the Jews. But my kingdom
is not from the world.”
Briefly, what is this place called the Kingdom of God?
The Kingdom of God (taken from Love in the Kingdom of God
lesson):
·
A definition: “The Kingdom of God is primarily
the reign, rule, or authority of God himself; secondarily, it is the realm in
which that rule is directly exercised, consisting largely in the laws governing
the natural world and, more importantly, the individual and collective hearts
of those who have bowed to God’s rule.” – J.P. Moreland.
·
And importantly, “its character is determined…by
the covenant according to which it is administered” – Michael Horton.
o
Our context is the new covenant of Jesus Christ
as prophesied in Jeremiah 31.
·
Examples of the Kingdom’s “character” in which
Christ rules are that “the righteousness of God has been revealed from
heaven, including justification of sinners and new birth, the
Spirit and his gifts poured out” – Michael Horton.
The Kingdom of God “stands at the very center of the message
of the historical Jesus” – AYBD.
·
It is “the worldview of Jesus of Nazareth and
Holy Scripture” – J.P. Moreland.
·
It “established a radically new order of life on
earth” – Dallas Willard.
Kingdom of God in Scripture – a few examples:
1) The Kingdom of God
is at hand – the now and not yet.
·
Matthew 3:2 (ESV) — 2 “Repent, for the kingdom
of heaven is at hand.”
·
Matthew 10:7 (ESV) — 7 And proclaim as
you go, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’
·
Matthew 12:28 (ESV) — 28 But if it is by
the Spirit of God that I cast out demons, then the kingdom of God has come
upon you.
2) The Kingdom of God is priceless.
·
Matthew 13:44 (ESV) — 44 “The kingdom of
heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up.
Then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.
·
Matthew 13:45-46 (ESV) — 45 “Again, the
kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls, 46 who,
on finding one pearl of great value, went and sold all that he had and
bought it.
3) The Kingdom of God requires self-sacrifice.
·
Mark 9:47 (ESV) — 47 And if your eye
causes you to sin, tear it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom
of God with one eye than with two eyes to be thrown into hell,
·
Acts 14:22 (ESV) — 22 strengthening the
souls of the disciples, encouraging them to continue in the faith, and saying
that through
many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God.
4) The Kingdom of God has different priorities than the
world.
·
Luke 9:60 (ESV) — 60 And Jesus said to
him, “Leave the dead to bury their own dead. But as for you,
go and proclaim the kingdom of God.”
·
Luke 12:29–31 (ESV) — 29 And do not seek
what you are to eat and what you are to drink, nor be worried. 30 For
all the nations of the world seek after these things, and your Father knows
that you need them. 31 Instead, seek his kingdom,
and these things will be added to you.
5) The Kingdom of God is not about worldly gratification.
·
Romans 14:17 (ESV) — 17 For the kingdom
of God is not a matter of eating and drinking but of righteousness
and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.
So to be “not of the world” is to be firmly placed
in the Kingdom of God and positioned in Jesus Christ.
·
It is to
understand that as a believer, life is to be lived in this new reality.
·
We may
not “feel” this truth, but it is true and we can rely on it.
·
We are
to live with a Kingdom Understanding of the world around us and no
longer with a Worldly Understanding.
·
To live
in this Kingdom necessitates being Positioned in Christ.
o And to live joyously in the Kingdom requires death
to self and right thinking.
Current Events
and Jesus’ Words to the disciples:
·
“Christ’s
followers will be hated by the same world, partly because they are associated
with the one who is supremely hated, and partly because, as they
increase in the intimacy, love, obedience and fruitfulness depicted in the
preceding verses, they will have the same effect on the world as their Master”
– D.A. Carson.
·
In other
words, we should be hated not just because of our association to Christ but
because we are becoming more like Him.
Have you become enough like Christ to bring the hatred of
the world down on you?
·
And do we really face the persecution today
that Christ spoke of to the disciples?
·
Certainly
Christians in other parts of the world do.
·
But what about in America?
Case in Point:
·
The
Family Research Council is a “conservative Christian lobbying group” that “strongly
opposes gay marriage and abortion and says it advocates ‘faith, family, and
freedom in public policy and public opinion’” – Washington Post.
·
On
August 15th 28-year-old Floyd Lee Corkins II walked into the FRC
with a 9mm pistol, two 15 round magazines and a 50 round box of ammunition and
began to open fire.
o He also had with him 15 Chick-Fil-A
sandwiches.
·
Corkins
was a volunteer for the DC Center for the LGBT Community.
·
The
reason he gave for the shooting was the FRC’s stance on gay marriage.
·
The liberal
Human Rights Campaign has called the FRC a “hate group” because of this stance.
·
The
liberal Southern Poverty Law Center labeled the FRC a “hate group”.
·
The
Huffington Post called the FRC a “hate group” even after the shooting.
·
Corkins,
apparently a big fan of Friedrich Nietzsche, apparently decided the way to deal
with a “hate group” is to shoot them.
“The world is a
society of rebels, and therefore finds it hard to tolerate those who are in
joyful allegiance to the king to whom all loyalty is due” – D.A. Carson.
·
What the
Kingdom of the World calls a “hate group”, is in the Kingdom of God “joyfull
allegiance” to King Jesus.
·
And
given Jesus’ words in our text today, to express hatred for Kingdom values is
to express hatred for Jesus Himself and the Father (vs. 21).
Humility
required:
·
We must
remember that the difference between us and them is not us.
·
It is
Jesus.
·
Jesus
reminds us of our origins.
o “but
I chose you out of the world” (vs. 19).
·
He chose
us out of the darkness; out of the condemned; out of the flesh; out of Satan’s
world.
·
A
beautiful picture of the Grace in the Guilt – Grace – Gratitude we spoke of a
few weeks ago from the Heidelberg Catechism.
·
How are you showing God you are grateful?
2) POSITION OF THE WORLD
John 15:22–25 (ESV) — 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. 23
Whoever hates me hates my Father also. 24
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. 25 But the word that is written in their
Law must be fulfilled: ‘They hated me without a cause.’
Jesus also tells us
about the position of the unbeliever.
·
Because
of Him, His divinely purposed ministry and the Words He spoke, the unbeliever
is:
·
“guilty of sin” (vs. 22)
·
“have no excuse for their sin” (vs.
22)
·
A result
of this position is hatred of both Jesus and the Father.
·
As we
have said over and over, there is no neutral ground in which any man stands.
·
And
quoting the Psalms, He tells us that this hatred is a fulfillment of prophecy
(Psalm 69:4).
It sounds like Jesus
is saying they would have been innocent of their sin had He not arrived.
·
Is this really what He is suggesting when He
says they “would not have been guilty”?
·
Absolutely
not.
·
Jesus is
referring specifically, as suggested by the Psalm prophecy, to the rejection of
His Messiahship.
·
And to
the guilt this rejection incurs.
·
D.A.
Carson puts it like this, “by coming and speaking to them Jesus incited the
most central and controlling of sins: rejection of God’s gracious revelation,
rebellion against God, decisive preference for darkness rather than light” –
D.A. Carson.
This is also similar
language that Jesus used in John 3 and John himself used in John 12.
·
John 3:19 (ESV) — 19 And this is the judgment: the light has
come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light
because their works were evil.
·
John 12:37–39 (ESV) — 37 Though he had done so many signs before
them, they still did not believe in him, 38
so that the word spoken by the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled: “Lord, who
has believed what he heard from us, and to whom has the arm of the Lord been
revealed?” 39a Therefore they
could not believe.
Importantly, as Carson points out, this hatred and rejection
of Christ does not jeopardize “God’s redemptive plan”.
·
In a prophetic and mysterious way, it is part of
it.
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