Gospel of John - Upper Room Discourse - We Overcome Hate With Love

 

We Overcome Hate With Love

John 15:18-24,16:1-4

If there is one word that is prevalent in all the world today, it is hate, the act of detesting something to the extent of destroying it. The world has made laws to hate (detest) those who detest their ways. Jesus has taught us to love as God the Father, and as he has loved us. Let’s begin with the first portion of the text, “If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you. 

Jesus is again giving last minute assurance to the disciples before he is betrayed, arrested, and crucified. They have seen the hatred of the Pharisees and Chief Priests towards Jesus, but they haven't really experienced it against themselves. Jesus is exhorting them that the world will hate them because it first hated Jesus. Love and Truth had come into the world and the world chose to hate them because they didn’t know of the Truth and Love from God the Father. They were blinded by hate and the god of this age, “Satan, who is the god of this world, has blinded the minds of those who don’t believe. They are unable to see the glorious light of the Good News. They don’t understand this message about the glory of Christ, who is the exact likeness of God.”

The world accepted and loved those who obeyed the teaching and rules of the world’s authorities regardless of their abhorrent and appalling behaviors, but they hated anything that stood for the Truth, and that didn’t agree with its biased and tainted views. The disciples were not of the world any longer, for Jesus had chosen them out of the world. When Jesus said come and follow me, he chose them because he knew them, “You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last…” Jn. 15:16

Application - Satan has hated Jesus from the beginning. He has tried to destroy the seed and the bloodline from the time of Adam and Eve through the birth of Jesus to Mary and Joseph. Jesus knew that his time would come to fulfill the scripture “And I will cause hostility between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring. He will strike your head, and you will strike his heel.” (Gen. 3:15 NLT)

Jesus was preparing all of his disciples for the demonic onslaught of those who were under the power and authority of the prince of the power of the air. “In which at one time you walked [habitually]. You were following the course and fashion of this world [were under the sway of the tendency of this present age], following the prince of the power of the air. [You were obedient to and under the control of] the [demon] spirit that still constantly works in the sons of disobedience [the careless, the rebellious, and the unbelieving, who go against the purposes of God]. (Eph. 2:2 AMPC) Many have had hatred towards Jesus and his disciples since the crucifixion. Pastors, teachers, evangelists, and all who serve Jesus in the proclaiming of the Gospel in the past and into today’s world have been hated, suffered attacks, been tortured and killed for the sake of the gospel. 

The warning from Jesus is prevalent to the church today. The sin-ridden world loves its own, it doesn’t mind the propagation of lying, or the destruction of what God has created, or the twisting and distorting of the Truth. The world today is constantly trying to rewrite the truth to make it irrelevant, relative, and not absolute. The world applauds the taking of innocent lives. The authorities in the world support the maiming of the bodies and minds of children as well as adults. They use the widow, alien, the homeless, and parentless as pawns in their power struggles.

Jesus warned in his Word that the last days would be horrific and under satanic influence, “But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power.” (2 Tim. 3:1-5)

Jesus chose all who would believe in him, he predestined them to stand firm in their callings, “Whom [God] did foreknow, he also did predestinate, … them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified; and whom he justified, them he also glorified.” (Rom. 8:29-30). For he just, he took them (all who believed) from their inherent state of sin, and saved them by his grace: cleansing all their sins (If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. 1 Jn. 1:9), renewing (Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind… Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.” Rom. 12:2,Ps.51:10), and dressing them in his righteousness (I will greatly rejoice in the Lord; my soul shall exult in my God, for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation; he has covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decks himself like a priest with a beautiful headdress, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels. Isa. 61:10) 

Next, Jesus had been persecuted and he had told them (his disciples) that they too would be persecuted because they were his disciples. Let’s look at the next portion of the text, “Remember what I told you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also. If they obeyed my teaching, they will obey yours also. They will treat you this way because of my name, for they do not know the one who sent me. If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not be guilty of sin; but now they have no excuse for their sin. Whoever hates me hates my Father as well. If I had not done among them the works no one else did, they would not be guilty of sin. As it is, they have seen, and yet they have hated both me and my Father. But this is to fulfill what is written in their Law: ‘They hated me without reason…’

The disciples knew Jesus as their master, teacher, and as the Christ, the Son of God. Jesus reminds them that they are servants, and as servants they will receive the same treatment as their master, for they are his. Jesus taught them the importance of servanthood at the table as he washed their feet, though he was their master and they his servants, he showed them the true role of humility in a master/servant. “Truly, truly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them.” Jn. 13:16-17

Jesus knew that they would be persecuted because they were his disciples, and because of the powerful message of the good news and the miracles they would do in his name. They would be reminded of when they were sent out, some listened and believed, others did not. The disciples would be treated the same way as Jesus because the people didn’t love, know, or believe the Father or his Son. 

Jesus now speaks of the judgment that will come on them because of their unbelief and their hatred towards the Father and Son. “If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not be guilty of sin; but now they have no excuse for their sin. Whoever hates me hates my Father as well. If I had not done among them the works no one else did, they would not be guilty of sin. As it is, they have seen, and yet they have hated both me and my Father. But this is to fulfill what is written in their Law: ‘They hated me without reason…’” Jesus came into the world to save the world, “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.” Jn. 3:16-18

The unbelieving Pharisees and all the others now stood condemned because Jesus, the Son of God had spoken to them of the Good News and the Kingdom of God. Jesus who is the Light shined the Word of God in their presence, he spoke the very words of God the Father to all who would hear and believe. They have no excuse for their sinfulness, hatred of the Father, the Son, and all his disciples. The prophet Isaiah had said of them, “Who has believed what he has heard from us? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?” (53:1) They had the Truth and the Life in their presence and yet they hated what they didn’t understand and persecuted the One who was sent from God the Father. 

Application - We are his servants, called to do the work of the master until his return. As servants of Christ, we are to act with the same attitude as Christ, “You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had…Instead, he gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being. When he appeared in human form, he humbled himself in obedience to God…to the glory of God the Father.” (Phil. 2:5,8,11b)

Jesus emptied himself and yielded to the Father’s purpose and will, (Instead, he gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being. When he appeared in human form, He humbled Himself and became obedient to death—even death on a cross.… Phil. 2:7-8). He asks all his disciples to do the same, to humbly yield to the Father’s will and purpose, so that they may be filled with the fullness of the Holy Spirit from the Father. For it is through the Holy Spirit we have the power of God to stand against the prince of the power of the air. He will persecute us, for Paul later told Timothy, “Yes, and everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution.” (2 Tim. 3:12)

But our task is to go and make disciples, preach and teach the Good News of the Gospel, and stand firm in our faith in Jesus. (“Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”... And he commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one appointed by God to be judge of the living and the dead.”..."Conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or remain absent, I will hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel." Matt.28:19-20, Acts 10:42, Phil. 1:27)

For those who have heard the Word of God and seen the power of the Holy Spirit, there is no excuse or reason for not believing Jesus Christ is the Son of God, and that salvation is through him alone.  

Last, Jesus warns against falling away because of persecution and straying from the Word because of persecution and deception. Let’s look at the last portion of the text, “All this I have told you so that you will not fall away. They will put you out of the synagogue; in fact, the time is coming when anyone who kills you will think they are offering a service to God. They will do such things because they have not known the Father or me. I have told you this, so that when their time comes you will remember that I warned you about them. I did not tell you this from the beginning because I was with you…”

Jesus had told them he was sending them the promise of the Father to be with them and in them. He would testify about Jesus and they too would testify before the world of Jesus, the Son of God, the Savior, Way, the Truth, and the Life. They would preach the Good News, the Gospel. (“For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes...” Rom. 1:16)

Now Jesus is telling them that they too will be persecuted for their faith in him. He knew that in the olive garden they would be scattered just as the prophet Zechariah had said. “Strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered, and I will turn my hand against the little ones.” (13:7) They would flee and even the most ardent disciple would deny him. Yet Jesus’ warning would also bring them together after his death.

Jesus foreknew the imprisonments of some of the disciples, their deaths because of their faithful witnessing and testifying of his Word. When he said the world will believe that they are doing a service of God by killing you, he may have referred to James and Stephen’s deaths and Saul’s mission.

Jesus said “They will do such things because they have not known the Father or me.” They are doing it out of ignorance, out of spite and hatred of the Father and Son they do not know. Jesus' last warning in the text was “I have told you this, so that when their time comes you will remember that I warned you about them.” His words were meant to be a comfort in that they are aware of their future, but as well Jesus wanted them to hear it from him, the One in whom they believed.

As Paul stated to Timothy, “And this is why I am suffering as I do. Still I am not ashamed, for I know (perceive, have knowledge of, and am acquainted with) Him Whom I have believed (adhered to and trusted in and relied on), and I am [positively] persuaded that He is able to guard and keep that which has been entrusted to me and which I have committed [to Him] until that day.” (2 Tim. 1:12 AMPC)

 Application - The majority of the Bible is prophecy. There are 1,817 prophecies in the Old and New Testaments. Jesus was reassuring his disciples that many of these prophecies were fulfilled by Him, and that they would experience some of the prophecies of the last days. Jesus knows that the enemy of God will try to deceive the believers, and he will try to get them to renounce their faith in Jesus through persecution, tribulation, temptations, and suffering and death. In the book of Revelation, it spoke of those who go through the Tribulation, “They triumphed over him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death.” (12:11) 

They didn’t turn away from the gospel or their Lord, they overcame by the blood of Jesus and their testimony. We don’t know how much persecution we will experience, but I can tell you the world will not persecute its own. Jesus said a house divided will fall, and we are to stand firm in the power of the Holy Spirit and the Gospel of Jesus Christ. For we are overcomers (But you belong to God, my dear children. You have already won a victory over those people, because the Spirit who lives in you is greater than the spirit who lives in the world. 1 Jn. 4:4) 

If we stay firm in our faith, the blood of the Lamb and the words of our testimony of his saving grace will make us overcomers in the battle against Satan and the world.

I’m again including the ABC’s of salvation (JD Farag). Please, Jesus, God the Son, came to this world to save all who would believe and trust in him. He desires to reveal himself to you, He is the Light that overcomes the darkness of this lawless world. He hears your prayers, and all authority in heaven and earth have been given to him. He will answer you if you will truly believe. And he wants to empower you with the Holy Spirit. If you haven’t asked him to be your Lord and Savior, today could be that day.

 First, A - Admit that you are a sinner. This is where that godly sorrow leads to genuine repentance for sinning against a righteous God and there is a change of heart, we change our mind and God changes our hearts and regenerates us from the inside out. Romans 3:10 - As it is written: "There is none righteous, no, not one." Romans 3:23 - For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. (We are all born sinners which is why we must be born spiritually in order to enter the Kingdom of Heaven). Romans 6:23 - For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. The bad news is that the wages of sin is death, in other words our sin means that we have been given a death sentence, we have the death penalty hanging over our heads, that's the bad news. But here's the good news: The good news is that the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Ephesians 2:8-9 - For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith —and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast. Second,

 B - Believe in your heart that Jesus Christ died for your sins, was buried, and that God raised Jesus from the dead. This is trusting with all of your heart that Jesus Christ is who he said he was. Romans 10:9-10 - That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved. Third, 

C - Call upon the name of the Lord. Every single person who ever lived since Adam will bend their knee and confess with their mouth that Jesus Christ is Lord, the Lord of lords and the King of kings. Romans 14:11 - For it is written: "As I live, says the Lord, Every knee shall bow to Me, And every tongue shall confess to God." Don't wait until later — do this now. Romans 10:13 - For "whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved." "O God, I am a sinner. I'm sorry for my sin. I want to turn from my sin. I believe Jesus Christ is Your Son; I believe that He died on the cross for my sin and that He was buried and You raised Him to life. I have decided to place my faith in Jesus Christ as my Savior, trusting only in His shed blood as sufficient to save my soul and to take me to heaven. Thank You, Lord Jesus, for saving me. Amen."

Please share this with someone this week, the Lord knows that we and they need it.

If you would like other lessons, please go to http://pmdinhisservice.blogspot.com 

Until next week, In His Service Mike Davis

I am developing a new webpage on Spiritual warfare. Please give it a look. I’m adding answers each week to questions that pertain to our time today.  Thank you

http://uss-warfare3.webnode.com