1 00:00:00,200 --> 00:00:02,200 As you know, earlier this summer, if you've been when 2 00:00:02,400 --> 00:00:05,560 we've been with us, we spent a lot of time in John 13 through 3 00:00:05,560 --> 00:00:09,080 17, but there is one passage that we missed because on July 4 00:00:09,080 --> 00:00:13,040 6th, right after the flooding, Mark chose to preach from Psalm 5 00:00:13,040 --> 00:00:15,760 16 that morning. So this is the passage that we 6 00:00:15,760 --> 00:00:17,600 didn't cover. We didn't want you to miss this 7 00:00:17,600 --> 00:00:20,560 portion of Scripture. So we're returning to it this 8 00:00:20,560 --> 00:00:22,360 morning. You'll see a big portion printed 9 00:00:22,360 --> 00:00:24,280 in your bulletin for us this morning. 10 00:00:24,280 --> 00:00:28,720 I'm going to start with John 15, verse 818, and I'll read to 11 00:00:28,720 --> 00:00:32,520 chapter 16, verse 3. Follow along in your Bible or in 12 00:00:32,520 --> 00:00:34,520 the bulletin. John 1518. 13 00:00:35,080 --> 00:00:38,440 If the world hates you, know that it has hated Me before it 14 00:00:38,440 --> 00:00:41,120 hated you. If you were of the world, the 15 00:00:41,120 --> 00:00:44,200 world would love you as its own. But because you are not of the 16 00:00:44,200 --> 00:00:46,960 world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world 17 00:00:46,960 --> 00:00:49,480 hates you. Remember the word that I said to 18 00:00:49,480 --> 00:00:51,320 you. A servant is not greater than 19 00:00:51,320 --> 00:00:53,880 his master. If they persecuted Me, they will 20 00:00:53,880 --> 00:00:56,960 also persecute you. If they kept My word, they will 21 00:00:56,960 --> 00:00:59,760 also keep yours. But all these things they will 22 00:00:59,760 --> 00:01:03,800 do to you on account of My name, because they do not know Him who 23 00:01:03,800 --> 00:01:06,280 sent Me. If I had not come and spoken to 24 00:01:06,280 --> 00:01:08,360 them, they would not have been guilty of sin. 25 00:01:08,640 --> 00:01:10,840 But now they have no excuse for their sin. 26 00:01:11,200 --> 00:01:13,880 Whoever hates me hates my Father also. 27 00:01:14,160 --> 00:01:17,160 If I had not done among them the works that no one else did, they 28 00:01:17,160 --> 00:01:20,680 would not be guilty of sin. But now they have seen and hated 29 00:01:20,680 --> 00:01:23,760 both me and my Father. But the word that is written in 30 00:01:23,760 --> 00:01:27,760 their law must be fulfilled. They hated me without a cause. 31 00:01:28,400 --> 00:01:30,920 But when the helper comes, whom I will send to you from the 32 00:01:30,920 --> 00:01:34,520 Father, the spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, he 33 00:01:34,520 --> 00:01:38,320 will bear witness about me. And you also will bear witness 34 00:01:38,320 --> 00:01:40,520 because you have been with me from the beginning. 35 00:01:40,920 --> 00:01:43,440 I've said all these things to you to keep you from falling 36 00:01:43,440 --> 00:01:45,160 away. They will put you out of the 37 00:01:45,160 --> 00:01:47,320 synagogue's. Indeed, the hour is coming when 38 00:01:47,320 --> 00:01:50,600 whoever kills you will think he's offering service to God. 39 00:01:51,040 --> 00:01:53,680 And they will do these things because they have not known the 40 00:01:53,680 --> 00:01:56,840 Father nor me. This is the word of the Lord. 41 00:01:57,520 --> 00:01:59,280 Thanks be to God. Please be seated. 42 00:02:00,640 --> 00:02:02,760 Father, we thank you for this portion of Your word. 43 00:02:02,760 --> 00:02:05,800 We're so grateful for every word that comes from your mouth. 44 00:02:05,800 --> 00:02:08,280 And we pray this morning. That would be food for us, Lord, 45 00:02:08,280 --> 00:02:10,880 that it would encourage us, that it would challenge us, and most 46 00:02:10,880 --> 00:02:13,400 of all, that it would drive us to Jesus. 47 00:02:13,800 --> 00:02:17,600 Lord, help us to know you and help us to cling to You for the 48 00:02:17,600 --> 00:02:20,200 help that we need to live according to your word. 49 00:02:20,480 --> 00:02:23,520 By your grace, in Jesus name we pray, Amen. 50 00:02:25,400 --> 00:02:27,920 How do we navigate the waters of life? 51 00:02:28,720 --> 00:02:32,600 Whether life feels like smooth sailing or stormy seas? 52 00:02:32,640 --> 00:02:37,320 How do we know where to go? And is there some fixed point 53 00:02:37,320 --> 00:02:41,840 outside of ourselves that helps us navigate as we return to 54 00:02:41,840 --> 00:02:45,280 these farewell discourses? And John, one last time, those 55 00:02:45,280 --> 00:02:48,960 are questions that for me form a frame around our passage. 56 00:02:48,960 --> 00:02:52,480 And, and they remind me of the North Star, the star that's been 57 00:02:52,480 --> 00:02:55,880 so important to sailors maybe before all the devices that we 58 00:02:55,880 --> 00:02:59,320 have now, but the star that's so important to sailors because of 59 00:02:59,320 --> 00:03:01,640 its relatively constant location. 60 00:03:02,000 --> 00:03:06,040 It's located close to Earth's N celestial pole, and it's that 61 00:03:06,040 --> 00:03:08,920 point in the sky directly above the North Pole. 62 00:03:08,920 --> 00:03:12,200 And so when sailors are lost, if they can just see the North 63 00:03:12,200 --> 00:03:15,200 Star, they can find their way. What's interesting is that it's 64 00:03:15,200 --> 00:03:19,840 not the most impressive * in the sky, but this dim little star 65 00:03:19,840 --> 00:03:22,480 can help us navigate on the darkest night. 66 00:03:23,160 --> 00:03:26,640 So if you think about what Jesus is doing in John 13 through 17, 67 00:03:26,800 --> 00:03:29,320 one way to think about is he's presenting himself to his 68 00:03:29,320 --> 00:03:31,480 disciples as the north, the north star. 69 00:03:31,480 --> 00:03:35,360 For them, He's the fixed point that will help them navigate 70 00:03:35,360 --> 00:03:38,560 every dark night that lies ahead because they're about to face 71 00:03:38,560 --> 00:03:41,760 the darkness of his suffering, and then not long after, the 72 00:03:41,760 --> 00:03:45,560 darkness of their own suffering. And so their hearts are troubled 73 00:03:45,880 --> 00:03:48,600 and think about how Jesus responds to everything going on 74 00:03:48,600 --> 00:03:50,000 in their lives. Their hearts are troubled. 75 00:03:50,000 --> 00:03:53,440 And Jesus says, let not your hearts be troubled. believe in 76 00:03:53,440 --> 00:03:57,320 God, believe also in me. And he says, you know, they 77 00:03:57,320 --> 00:04:00,000 don't know where he's going. What does Jesus say? 78 00:04:00,360 --> 00:04:03,400 I am the way they feel unanchored. 79 00:04:03,560 --> 00:04:06,880 And Jesus says I am the vine. Abide in me. 80 00:04:07,360 --> 00:04:09,080 And they're worried about being left alone. 81 00:04:09,080 --> 00:04:12,320 And Jesus basically says, I'll send you the Spirit to be with 82 00:04:12,320 --> 00:04:16,160 you and in you forever. So, so Jesus says so much in 83 00:04:16,160 --> 00:04:18,760 these chapters. But this brief sampling is 84 00:04:18,760 --> 00:04:21,959 stunning because in short, he's presenting himself to them as 85 00:04:21,959 --> 00:04:24,360 the North Star for them and for us. 86 00:04:24,360 --> 00:04:28,800 He's the fixed point as our lives spin around and he's the 87 00:04:28,800 --> 00:04:31,920 light that helps us navigate in the darkness. 88 00:04:32,440 --> 00:04:35,440 But here's the problem. We all need a North Star like 89 00:04:35,440 --> 00:04:39,880 that, but left to ourselves, none of us would choose Jesus. 90 00:04:40,200 --> 00:04:43,520 Our natural inclination is actually to make ourselves the 91 00:04:43,520 --> 00:04:46,720 North Star in life. So what we think, what we want, 92 00:04:46,960 --> 00:04:49,680 what we feel, that becomes our compass. 93 00:04:50,400 --> 00:04:53,440 And so we navigate life and we run everything through a grid of 94 00:04:53,440 --> 00:04:56,000 questions that's really focused on us. 95 00:04:56,560 --> 00:05:00,880 What's fulfilling for me? What's comfortable for me? 96 00:05:01,440 --> 00:05:05,680 What's best for me? When we're the North Star and we 97 00:05:05,680 --> 00:05:08,800 navigate by our own desires, it's easy to see why we just 98 00:05:08,800 --> 00:05:11,880 want a healthier, wealthier, happier life. 99 00:05:12,240 --> 00:05:16,600 Everything in US wants to sail around the storms and avoid the 100 00:05:16,600 --> 00:05:19,520 suffering. And if we know Jesus, we're not 101 00:05:19,520 --> 00:05:22,360 immune to this selfish approach to life. 102 00:05:22,360 --> 00:05:26,240 We can actually see Jesus as the ticket to the healthier and 103 00:05:26,240 --> 00:05:29,840 wealthier and happier life. And we expect that He'll protect 104 00:05:29,840 --> 00:05:34,400 us from suffering and hardship. But God never intended for us to 105 00:05:34,400 --> 00:05:37,640 be our own North Star. When we put ourselves at the 106 00:05:37,640 --> 00:05:40,360 center, things start to fall apart because we don't actually 107 00:05:40,360 --> 00:05:43,240 have a fixed point to navigate through life. 108 00:05:43,520 --> 00:05:47,200 And then we especially struggle on the dark nights when life 109 00:05:47,200 --> 00:05:50,400 gets hard. So Jesus words in these chapters 110 00:05:50,440 --> 00:05:53,640 are deeply comforting. But we have to remember why he 111 00:05:53,640 --> 00:05:56,080 needed to say these things to his closest friends. 112 00:05:56,320 --> 00:05:59,360 Because he knew he was going to suffer and that they were going 113 00:05:59,360 --> 00:06:01,600 to suffer. He knew his disciples then and 114 00:06:01,600 --> 00:06:06,480 now would need deep comfort. But Jesus never offers cheap 115 00:06:06,480 --> 00:06:08,880 comfort. The balance in his teaching is 116 00:06:08,880 --> 00:06:12,080 really spectacular because in John 15, first he talks about 117 00:06:12,320 --> 00:06:16,440 making a home in the One who loves us, and now he's talking 118 00:06:16,440 --> 00:06:19,080 about living in a world that hates us. 119 00:06:19,880 --> 00:06:22,480 So he wants us to know the reality of suffering as we 120 00:06:22,480 --> 00:06:25,560 follow Him. He's telling us to expect the 121 00:06:25,560 --> 00:06:28,440 world's hatred, but he also wants us to know all the 122 00:06:28,440 --> 00:06:32,160 resources we have in Him. As we follow him, He's telling 123 00:06:32,160 --> 00:06:36,520 us to expect the Spirit's help. So when Jesus is at the center 124 00:06:36,520 --> 00:06:39,400 of our lives, he brings this radically new perspective 125 00:06:39,720 --> 00:06:43,960 because life is no longer about glorifying and enjoying me, it's 126 00:06:43,960 --> 00:06:46,040 about glorifying and enjoying Him. 127 00:06:46,640 --> 00:06:50,320 He's the North Star, and if we're following him, we know 128 00:06:50,320 --> 00:06:53,800 that the path to glory, as we've said before, runs through the 129 00:06:53,800 --> 00:06:57,680 cross, not around it. But we also know that he's with 130 00:06:57,680 --> 00:07:01,240 us to strengthen us, and he intends to use our suffering to 131 00:07:01,240 --> 00:07:04,640 grow us and also to draw other people to himself. 132 00:07:05,120 --> 00:07:08,680 So let's lean into this passage and see how the Lord wants to 133 00:07:08,680 --> 00:07:11,760 change our perspective on suffering in the Christian life. 134 00:07:12,320 --> 00:07:15,160 The first thing I want us to see is Jesus tells his disciples to 135 00:07:15,160 --> 00:07:19,400 expect the world's hatred. He's clear about the reality of 136 00:07:19,400 --> 00:07:21,920 suffering for his followers. Just look at verse 18. 137 00:07:22,120 --> 00:07:25,200 If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it 138 00:07:25,200 --> 00:07:28,640 hated you. Since Jesus is talking about the 139 00:07:28,640 --> 00:07:32,960 world hating us, take a moment to ask what he means by the 140 00:07:32,960 --> 00:07:35,800 world. We remember John 316 for God so 141 00:07:35,800 --> 00:07:37,880 loved the world that he gave his only son. 142 00:07:38,560 --> 00:07:40,720 But we also remember first John 215. 143 00:07:40,720 --> 00:07:43,960 Do not love the world or the things in the world. 144 00:07:44,160 --> 00:07:46,120 So does God love the world or not? 145 00:07:46,520 --> 00:07:48,240 And are we to love the world or not? 146 00:07:48,920 --> 00:07:52,160 It all hinges on what John means by the world. 147 00:07:52,720 --> 00:07:56,400 John 316 is talking about the people of this world. 148 00:07:56,520 --> 00:07:59,680 God so loved His people that he gave his only Son that they 149 00:07:59,680 --> 00:08:01,960 might have eternal life. First. 150 00:08:01,960 --> 00:08:05,800 John 2:15 is talking about the systems and structures of this 151 00:08:05,800 --> 00:08:07,040 world. They're the systems and 152 00:08:07,040 --> 00:08:10,800 structures that set themselves actively against God. 153 00:08:11,040 --> 00:08:14,320 This is the world we mean when we say the world, the flesh and 154 00:08:14,320 --> 00:08:18,960 the devil, that evil Trinity that's always opposing the 155 00:08:18,960 --> 00:08:20,680 Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. 156 00:08:21,120 --> 00:08:24,120 This is the world that Jesus says will hate his followers 157 00:08:24,120 --> 00:08:27,800 because it hated Him first. And in these verses, Jesus helps 158 00:08:27,800 --> 00:08:31,200 us understand why we should expect the world's hatred. 159 00:08:31,200 --> 00:08:33,039 Really. He gives us two big reasons and 160 00:08:33,200 --> 00:08:35,520 paints around them. The world hates Christians 161 00:08:35,520 --> 00:08:38,600 because it hated Christ 1st and were associated with him. 162 00:08:39,240 --> 00:08:42,280 And the world hates Christians because they're not of this 163 00:08:42,280 --> 00:08:44,680 world. So when Jesus talks about the 164 00:08:44,680 --> 00:08:48,160 world hating us, he's basically saying if they did it to me, 165 00:08:48,400 --> 00:08:51,560 they're going to do it to you. A servant is not greater than 166 00:08:51,560 --> 00:08:55,520 his master, Jesus says in verse 20, and he consistently teaches 167 00:08:55,520 --> 00:08:58,800 this principle to his disciples. He never says, it's going to be 168 00:08:58,800 --> 00:09:03,440 tough for me, but easy for you. Still, it's jarring for us to 169 00:09:03,440 --> 00:09:06,600 hear, especially when we think about Jesus, because the world 170 00:09:06,600 --> 00:09:10,360 had never seen glory like the glory of Jesus, but the world 171 00:09:10,360 --> 00:09:14,080 looked at him and hated him. I think of Isaiah 53. 172 00:09:14,280 --> 00:09:19,160 He was despised and rejected. It was prophesied to you and our 173 00:09:19,160 --> 00:09:21,280 best. The world's never seen glory 174 00:09:21,280 --> 00:09:24,840 like the glory of Christ in US, and yet Jesus gives us the 175 00:09:24,840 --> 00:09:28,200 expectation that the world will look at us and hate us too. 176 00:09:29,040 --> 00:09:31,040 And verse 19 helps us understand why. 177 00:09:31,040 --> 00:09:34,600 Jesus says if you were of the world, the world would love you 178 00:09:34,600 --> 00:09:37,320 as its own. But because you are not of the 179 00:09:37,320 --> 00:09:41,320 world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world 180 00:09:41,320 --> 00:09:44,680 hates you. This language of Jesus sovereign 181 00:09:44,680 --> 00:09:48,160 choice runs throughout John and the Bible. 182 00:09:48,480 --> 00:09:53,520 So John 644 no one can come to me unless the Father who sent me 183 00:09:53,600 --> 00:09:57,560 draws him. And John 1516 you did not choose 184 00:09:57,560 --> 00:10:02,360 me, but I chose you. And then Paul in Ephesians 1/4, 185 00:10:02,360 --> 00:10:06,840 he chose us in him before the foundation of the world. 186 00:10:07,600 --> 00:10:09,400 Now this doctrine makes two things clear. 187 00:10:09,400 --> 00:10:13,080 The Lord set his love on his people before they could do 188 00:10:13,080 --> 00:10:17,040 anything to deserve it. And the Lord's choice brings 189 00:10:17,040 --> 00:10:21,080 about a change that separates His people from the world. 190 00:10:21,680 --> 00:10:24,320 Jesus says his disciples are not of the world. 191 00:10:24,640 --> 00:10:26,800 Why? Because he has chosen them out 192 00:10:26,800 --> 00:10:30,840 of the world. In John 1714 and 15, Jesus prays 193 00:10:30,840 --> 00:10:32,920 to the Father along these very same lines. 194 00:10:32,920 --> 00:10:35,960 Listen, he prays, I've given them your word and the world has 195 00:10:35,960 --> 00:10:39,960 hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not 196 00:10:39,960 --> 00:10:42,360 of the world. I do not ask that you take them 197 00:10:42,360 --> 00:10:47,120 out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil. 1 The 198 00:10:47,120 --> 00:10:51,080 non Christian is in the world and of the world, but the 199 00:10:51,080 --> 00:10:54,800 Christian by God's grace is in the world but not of the world. 200 00:10:55,040 --> 00:10:57,760 And this is because God has done something significant and 201 00:10:57,760 --> 00:11:02,640 marvelous in our lives. In Colossians 113 Paul says God 202 00:11:02,640 --> 00:11:07,200 has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us 203 00:11:07,480 --> 00:11:09,320 to the Kingdom of his beloved Son. 204 00:11:10,200 --> 00:11:13,760 And so Peter can say in first Peter 211 that we are sojourners 205 00:11:13,760 --> 00:11:17,280 and exiles in this world. We're like aliens and strangers 206 00:11:17,280 --> 00:11:19,680 in this world. In Christ, we're no longer 207 00:11:19,680 --> 00:11:22,560 slaves to the world's systems and structures. 208 00:11:22,840 --> 00:11:27,160 We're actually a new creation in Christ with a new center and new 209 00:11:27,160 --> 00:11:31,160 values and a new mission. And as we grow in Christ, we 210 00:11:31,160 --> 00:11:34,520 become more and more different from the world, and the world 211 00:11:34,720 --> 00:11:37,480 doesn't like it. There's a Chinese proverb that 212 00:11:37,480 --> 00:11:42,320 says the nail that stands out gets hammered down, and no one 213 00:11:42,320 --> 00:11:45,840 stood out like Jesus, and he got hammered down literally nailed 214 00:11:45,840 --> 00:11:48,800 to a cross. So on a smaller scale, that will 215 00:11:48,800 --> 00:11:51,280 be true for everyone who follows Jesus. 216 00:11:51,280 --> 00:11:55,120 We should stand out in our families, in our schools, on our 217 00:11:55,120 --> 00:11:58,320 teams, in our offices, in our neighborhoods. 218 00:11:58,680 --> 00:12:01,200 If we're no longer conforming to this world, if we're being 219 00:12:01,200 --> 00:12:05,280 transformed by the renewal of our mind, we will stand out, and 220 00:12:05,280 --> 00:12:08,400 sooner or later someone will try to hammer us down. 221 00:12:09,400 --> 00:12:12,920 Wherever Christians go, we bring the light of Christ with us. 222 00:12:13,280 --> 00:12:17,360 But people in the world don't want their darkness exposed, so 223 00:12:17,360 --> 00:12:20,560 they may not welcome us into their group or invite us to 224 00:12:20,560 --> 00:12:22,640 their party. They may not want us work 225 00:12:22,680 --> 00:12:24,680 working alongside them in their company. 226 00:12:25,160 --> 00:12:29,840 So we'll experience exclusion, rejection, persecution to 227 00:12:29,840 --> 00:12:32,280 different degrees. But when this happens, we need 228 00:12:32,280 --> 00:12:35,240 to remember what Jesus says. The world did it to him first, 229 00:12:35,680 --> 00:12:37,520 and he's chosen us out of the world. 230 00:12:38,160 --> 00:12:41,560 But as we talk about this, we need wisdom to think about the 231 00:12:41,560 --> 00:12:44,360 world hating us, because it's easy to be really black and 232 00:12:44,360 --> 00:12:46,840 white, but there's Gray here. So think about the range of 233 00:12:46,840 --> 00:12:49,800 possibilities. If the world hates us, we could 234 00:12:49,800 --> 00:12:53,400 be doing something right. Our experience could be like 235 00:12:53,400 --> 00:12:56,920 Daniel in the Old Testament. Daniel is that rare character in 236 00:12:56,920 --> 00:12:59,800 the Bible who seems to do everything right. 237 00:13:00,080 --> 00:13:03,120 He's in Babylon, but not of Babylon. 238 00:13:03,360 --> 00:13:07,040 His character is exemplary. But how does the world respond? 239 00:13:07,360 --> 00:13:09,600 They try to kill him and his friends. 240 00:13:10,720 --> 00:13:14,480 Jesus and Daniel both teach us that a righteous life doesn't 241 00:13:14,480 --> 00:13:16,800 necessarily save us from suffering. 242 00:13:17,480 --> 00:13:20,600 On the other hand, if the world hates us, we could actually be 243 00:13:20,600 --> 00:13:23,640 doing something wrong. As Christians, sometimes we 244 00:13:23,640 --> 00:13:26,440 suffer because of our own sin and folly. 245 00:13:26,440 --> 00:13:30,240 We bring the pain upon ourselves because of something we say or 246 00:13:30,240 --> 00:13:32,360 do. And I think that's why Paul says 247 00:13:32,360 --> 00:13:36,440 in Colossians, four or five walk in wisdom toward outsiders, 248 00:13:36,920 --> 00:13:39,640 because when we lack wisdom, we actually invite the world's 249 00:13:39,720 --> 00:13:42,520 hatred. What about the seasons when it's 250 00:13:42,520 --> 00:13:47,040 more smooth sailing for us? If the world doesn't hate us, we 251 00:13:47,040 --> 00:13:50,560 could be doing something wrong. Our experience could be like Lot 252 00:13:50,560 --> 00:13:52,320 in Genesis. You remember, Lot decided to 253 00:13:52,320 --> 00:13:57,880 raise his family close to Sodom. We can also live close to the 254 00:13:58,000 --> 00:14:02,120 wickedness of this world. And in Genesis 19, when angels 255 00:14:02,120 --> 00:14:05,160 warned Lot about the coming judgement, he shares that 256 00:14:05,160 --> 00:14:07,800 warning with his family and they basically laugh at him. 257 00:14:08,320 --> 00:14:11,760 They don't take it seriously. So it seems like Sodom was 258 00:14:11,760 --> 00:14:15,720 influencing Lot and his family more than Lot was influencing 259 00:14:15,720 --> 00:14:18,160 Sodom. So a life without suffering 260 00:14:18,160 --> 00:14:20,720 doesn't necessarily mean God is blessing us. 261 00:14:21,520 --> 00:14:24,360 On the other hand, if the world doesn't hate us, we could 262 00:14:24,360 --> 00:14:25,840 actually be doing something right. 263 00:14:26,280 --> 00:14:30,480 Proverbs 16 seven says when a man's ways please the Lord, he 264 00:14:30,480 --> 00:14:32,960 makes even his enemies to be at peace with him. 265 00:14:33,480 --> 00:14:37,040 So even in places that Sam prayed about, where it's very 266 00:14:37,040 --> 00:14:39,560 hard to be a Christian, Christians will experience 267 00:14:39,560 --> 00:14:42,920 seasons of peace. Depending on where we live and 268 00:14:42,920 --> 00:14:45,360 how we live, our experience is going to vary. 269 00:14:45,640 --> 00:14:48,080 And there are winsome and admirable things about the 270 00:14:48,080 --> 00:14:50,000 Christian life. There are moments when the world 271 00:14:50,240 --> 00:14:54,240 is drawn to Christ in us. So a life without suffering 272 00:14:54,480 --> 00:14:57,360 doesn't necessarily mean we're doing something wrong. 273 00:14:58,280 --> 00:15:01,040 Still, Jesus tells us to expect the world's hatred. 274 00:15:01,360 --> 00:15:05,560 So if the world always loves us, we should probably ask ourselves 275 00:15:05,840 --> 00:15:08,480 some hard questions, because it's hard to avoid a verse like 276 00:15:08,480 --> 00:15:10,960 verse 21. But all these things they'll do 277 00:15:10,960 --> 00:15:14,520 to you on account of my name, because they do not know him who 278 00:15:14,520 --> 00:15:18,000 sent me. The world doesn't know Jesus or 279 00:15:18,000 --> 00:15:22,640 the Father apart from Christ. People don't love God, they love 280 00:15:22,640 --> 00:15:25,200 themselves and Jesus is the threat. 281 00:15:25,800 --> 00:15:29,520 From their perspective, Jesus and his people are the problem. 282 00:15:29,840 --> 00:15:33,560 And that's why Jesus says in 16 two the hour is coming when 283 00:15:33,560 --> 00:15:36,920 whoever kills you will think he's offering service to God. 284 00:15:38,840 --> 00:15:41,280 And again, he says they'll do this because they don't know the 285 00:15:41,280 --> 00:15:44,960 Father or the Son. Now, this teaching can fall flat 286 00:15:44,960 --> 00:15:49,160 on us because we enjoy relative peace in America and Dallas. 287 00:15:49,160 --> 00:15:52,600 But there were more Christian martyrs in the 20th century than 288 00:15:52,600 --> 00:15:55,320 in any century before. And there are places in the 289 00:15:55,320 --> 00:15:58,760 world today, you heard Sam's prayers where Christians feel 290 00:15:58,760 --> 00:16:02,600 the world's hatred intensely and their places even in America 291 00:16:02,600 --> 00:16:05,800 today where Christians are feeling it more than ever. 292 00:16:06,320 --> 00:16:10,320 So before Jesus went to his cross, he wanted to prepare his 293 00:16:10,320 --> 00:16:13,720 people for their cross. So he talks openly about the 294 00:16:13,720 --> 00:16:17,040 world's hatred, but he also talks openly about the Spirit's 295 00:16:17,040 --> 00:16:19,080 help. And that's our second point. 296 00:16:19,120 --> 00:16:22,760 Jesus tells his disciples to expect the Spirit's help. 297 00:16:23,560 --> 00:16:26,480 It's wonderful to see Jesus teaching so much about the Holy 298 00:16:26,480 --> 00:16:31,000 Spirit in John 14 through 16. He's going away, but his going 299 00:16:31,000 --> 00:16:34,880 is not simply a going. Jesus going means the Holy 300 00:16:34,880 --> 00:16:37,800 Spirit is coming in a new and amazing way. 301 00:16:38,120 --> 00:16:42,280 By his Spirit, Jesus will be with us and in US forever. 302 00:16:42,840 --> 00:16:46,760 And he he names the Holy Spirit, the Helper, the Counselor, the 303 00:16:46,800 --> 00:16:49,600 Advocate. So as we live for Christ, we 304 00:16:49,600 --> 00:16:53,400 have the best possible help in the Helper. 305 00:16:54,360 --> 00:16:57,400 But notice what Jesus doesn't say about the Holy Spirit's help 306 00:16:57,400 --> 00:17:00,040 in this context. He doesn't say that the Spirit 307 00:17:00,040 --> 00:17:02,080 will cause the world not to hate us. 308 00:17:03,240 --> 00:17:06,520 He doesn't say the Spirit will deliver us from suffering. 309 00:17:06,800 --> 00:17:10,640 He focuses on the Spirit's primary job, to bear witness. 310 00:17:11,720 --> 00:17:15,599 The Holy Spirit loves to testify about Jesus, to point people to 311 00:17:15,599 --> 00:17:18,480 Jesus. So if Jesus is the North Star, 312 00:17:18,800 --> 00:17:22,200 the Holy Spirit provides the navigational help. 313 00:17:23,000 --> 00:17:26,920 And Jesus makes it clear the navigational priority is not 314 00:17:27,000 --> 00:17:30,680 comfort. The navigational priority is 315 00:17:30,680 --> 00:17:33,840 witness. He wants to move us through this 316 00:17:33,840 --> 00:17:37,600 world in a way where we can witness for Christ, and that 317 00:17:37,600 --> 00:17:41,640 sometimes means suffering. So the apostles have witnessed 318 00:17:41,640 --> 00:17:43,400 Jesus ministry from the beginning. 319 00:17:43,680 --> 00:17:47,120 No one's better equipped to bear witness about Jesus than they 320 00:17:47,120 --> 00:17:49,040 are. And Jesus promises to fill them 321 00:17:49,040 --> 00:17:53,040 with his Spirit for this very purpose in this very moment when 322 00:17:53,040 --> 00:17:56,200 the world hates them. The Spirit bears witness about 323 00:17:56,280 --> 00:17:58,560 Jesus through the witness of his people. 324 00:17:58,920 --> 00:18:01,280 And what we don't see in English, in our translation, is 325 00:18:01,280 --> 00:18:05,320 the word martyr in English comes from the Greek word witness. 326 00:18:05,320 --> 00:18:09,840 In this passage. Biblically, martyrs are just 327 00:18:09,840 --> 00:18:12,480 witnesses. They testify to what they've 328 00:18:12,480 --> 00:18:17,320 seen in Jesus, and sometimes the world hates them enough to kill 329 00:18:17,320 --> 00:18:20,120 them. These fearful fleeing disciples 330 00:18:20,120 --> 00:18:23,480 would become mighty witnesses for Christ by the power of the 331 00:18:23,480 --> 00:18:25,400 Spirit. They would bear witness, some of 332 00:18:25,400 --> 00:18:28,440 them for decades. And nearly every one of them, 333 00:18:28,520 --> 00:18:32,160 tradition tells us, would die a martyr's death for their 334 00:18:32,160 --> 00:18:35,240 witness. Jesus knew what it would cost 335 00:18:35,240 --> 00:18:39,160 him to win a people for himself and he knew what it would cost 336 00:18:39,160 --> 00:18:41,960 his disciples to share that news with the world. 337 00:18:42,240 --> 00:18:45,320 And that's why Jesus says what he says John 16/1. 338 00:18:45,320 --> 00:18:47,880 He says, I've said all these things to you to keep you from 339 00:18:47,880 --> 00:18:50,440 falling away. And at the end of the chapter, 340 00:18:50,440 --> 00:18:53,440 verse 33, he says, I've said these things to you that in me 341 00:18:53,440 --> 00:18:56,560 you may have peace in the world, you'll have tribulation. 342 00:18:56,560 --> 00:18:59,600 But take heart. I have overcome the world. 343 00:19:00,400 --> 00:19:03,280 Jesus didn't want his disciples to be surprised by what was 344 00:19:03,280 --> 00:19:06,000 coming. And sitting here 2000 years 345 00:19:06,000 --> 00:19:08,120 later, he, his Word still speaks to us. 346 00:19:08,280 --> 00:19:10,800 He doesn't want us to be surprised when the world hates 347 00:19:10,800 --> 00:19:12,640 us. He wants us to know that the 348 00:19:12,640 --> 00:19:16,720 Spirit is with us so that we can bear witness in those moments 349 00:19:16,720 --> 00:19:18,880 too. So I want to encourage you and 350 00:19:18,880 --> 00:19:22,440 your witness for Christ. I want Jesus to be your North 351 00:19:22,440 --> 00:19:25,240 Star so that when suffering comes, you don't just try to 352 00:19:25,240 --> 00:19:29,720 navigate around it. Nothing encourages us more than 353 00:19:29,720 --> 00:19:33,120 the stories of those who've gone before us, and there's so many. 354 00:19:33,440 --> 00:19:36,560 But let's consider a few people who learned about the world's 355 00:19:36,560 --> 00:19:40,760 hatred and the Spirit's help. Consider Peter's story. 356 00:19:40,760 --> 00:19:42,320 We've talked about Peter recently. 357 00:19:42,640 --> 00:19:45,240 Peter was there in Matthew 5 to hear the beatitude. 358 00:19:45,240 --> 00:19:49,040 Blessed are those who are persecuted, and he was there to 359 00:19:49,040 --> 00:19:51,960 hear these very words. But we know that moments after 360 00:19:51,960 --> 00:19:56,280 this, Peter would take up his sword and try to stop a mob from 361 00:19:56,280 --> 00:19:59,760 arresting Jesus. Jesus was Peter's north star. 362 00:19:59,960 --> 00:20:03,360 Peter just didn't agree with where that star was leading. 363 00:20:04,200 --> 00:20:07,600 Peter didn't have room in his theology for a Savior who 364 00:20:07,600 --> 00:20:11,040 suffered and sacrificed and called his disciples to the 365 00:20:11,040 --> 00:20:13,240 same. He didn't understand it until 366 00:20:13,240 --> 00:20:17,520 after Jesus died and rose again. But then in Acts we see what 367 00:20:17,520 --> 00:20:21,480 seems to be a whole new man, filled with the Spirit, willing 368 00:20:21,480 --> 00:20:24,400 to suffer for Christ. And then as an older man, he 369 00:20:24,400 --> 00:20:27,120 wrote these words in first Peter 412 through 13. 370 00:20:27,120 --> 00:20:30,040 Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial. 371 00:20:30,040 --> 00:20:33,240 When it comes upon you to test you, doesn't that sound just 372 00:20:33,240 --> 00:20:36,520 like this, As though something strange were happening to you? 373 00:20:36,880 --> 00:20:41,120 But rejoice in so far as you share Christ's sufferings, that 374 00:20:41,120 --> 00:20:44,920 you may also rejoice and be glad when His glory is revealed. 375 00:20:45,600 --> 00:20:49,920 Sword swinging Peter wrote that Peter was imprisoned multiple 376 00:20:49,920 --> 00:20:53,720 times in his life and apparently crucified upside down. 377 00:20:54,400 --> 00:20:57,680 The world hated him, but the Spirit helped him to bear 378 00:20:57,680 --> 00:21:01,280 witness to Christ. Peter shows us even on our 379 00:21:01,280 --> 00:21:04,080 darkest nights, the light of glory breaks through. 380 00:21:04,680 --> 00:21:06,440 And so he didn't run from suffering. 381 00:21:06,440 --> 00:21:09,640 He actually learned to rejoice in it because he knew that the 382 00:21:09,640 --> 00:21:13,400 world may give us a cross, but the Lord will one day give us a 383 00:21:13,400 --> 00:21:16,160 crown. He'll share his glory with us. 384 00:21:16,960 --> 00:21:18,760 Next. Consider Paul's story. 385 00:21:19,280 --> 00:21:21,880 We meet Paul or Saul at the end of Acts 7. 386 00:21:21,880 --> 00:21:26,800 At the stoning of Stephen in Acts 760, Stephen cried out, 387 00:21:26,800 --> 00:21:29,760 Lord, do not hold this sin against them. 388 00:21:30,440 --> 00:21:33,880 That's what he says in his dying moment and the very next verse 389 00:21:33,880 --> 00:21:36,480 we read. And Saul approved of his 390 00:21:36,480 --> 00:21:39,360 execution. Saul hated the church. 391 00:21:39,880 --> 00:21:42,720 He thought he was serving God by trying to kill Christians. 392 00:21:43,520 --> 00:21:46,760 So what a powerful transformation the Lord worked 393 00:21:46,760 --> 00:21:48,960 in his life. How amazing that the Lord would 394 00:21:48,960 --> 00:21:51,800 choose this man to be his instrument. 395 00:21:52,360 --> 00:21:55,520 How amazing that the Lord would choose any of us to be his 396 00:21:55,520 --> 00:21:57,880 instrument. So the Lord invites this man 397 00:21:57,880 --> 00:22:00,560 named Ananias to preach the gospel to Saul. 398 00:22:00,560 --> 00:22:03,320 And Ananias is kind of like, you know who this guy is? 399 00:22:03,320 --> 00:22:06,680 I don't really want to do this. And you remember what the Lord 400 00:22:06,680 --> 00:22:11,160 told Ananias in Acts 9/16. He says, For I will show him how 401 00:22:11,160 --> 00:22:16,080 much he must suffer for the sake of my name, the one who wanted 402 00:22:16,080 --> 00:22:19,240 to make Christians suffer. The Lord has the path of 403 00:22:19,240 --> 00:22:22,120 suffering for him for the sake of Christ. 404 00:22:22,480 --> 00:22:25,840 So the Lord saved Paul and he became the saved Saul, and he 405 00:22:25,840 --> 00:22:28,960 became the apostle Paul. And this man who hated the 406 00:22:28,960 --> 00:22:32,440 church now loved Jesus and long for people to know him. 407 00:22:32,440 --> 00:22:36,200 And perhaps more than anyone in history, Paul experienced the 408 00:22:36,200 --> 00:22:39,120 world's hatred, but also the Spirit's help. 409 00:22:39,880 --> 00:22:43,280 He says things about suffering that sound really strange to us. 410 00:22:43,800 --> 00:22:47,880 So riding from jail in Philippians 129, Paul says, For 411 00:22:47,880 --> 00:22:51,120 it's been granted to you that for the sake of Christ you 412 00:22:51,120 --> 00:22:55,280 should not only believe in him, but also suffer for his sake. 413 00:22:55,840 --> 00:22:58,360 Did you catch that? Suffering for Christ is 414 00:22:58,360 --> 00:23:02,760 something granted to believers. It's not a problem to solve. 415 00:23:03,600 --> 00:23:07,600 It's a privilege to receive. If our North Star is just 416 00:23:07,600 --> 00:23:11,160 comfort and prosperity, we'll never think like this. 417 00:23:12,240 --> 00:23:17,360 Do we see the privilege granted to us to suffer for Christ? 418 00:23:18,480 --> 00:23:22,160 And then in Colossians 124, Paul says, now I rejoice in my 419 00:23:22,160 --> 00:23:26,360 sufferings for your sake and in my flesh I'm filling up what's 420 00:23:26,360 --> 00:23:30,240 lacking in Christ's affliction for the sake of His body. 421 00:23:30,240 --> 00:23:33,720 That is the church. What is Paul talking about? 422 00:23:34,320 --> 00:23:37,120 What could be lacking in Christ's afflictions? 423 00:23:37,120 --> 00:23:39,480 There's a way you read that that sounds like heresy. 424 00:23:40,120 --> 00:23:43,040 Surely he doesn't mean that Jesus failed to finish the job 425 00:23:43,040 --> 00:23:45,760 on the cross, right? That's not lacking. 426 00:23:46,240 --> 00:23:49,160 Christ's afflictions are not lacking in their merit or their 427 00:23:49,160 --> 00:23:52,240 power to save sinners. What's lacking is their 428 00:23:52,240 --> 00:23:57,800 extension to a world that wasn't there to witness Jesus dying on 429 00:23:57,800 --> 00:23:59,000 the cross. They didn't see it. 430 00:23:59,000 --> 00:24:02,440 It's not real to them. So when Christians like Paul 431 00:24:02,440 --> 00:24:06,680 suffer, people see a miniature picture of Christ's sufferings 432 00:24:07,320 --> 00:24:09,640 and it becomes real to them in that moment. 433 00:24:10,040 --> 00:24:13,640 And they're forced to ask, why would someone live and suffer 434 00:24:13,640 --> 00:24:16,840 like this? And we can say, because Jesus 435 00:24:17,200 --> 00:24:20,200 suffered for me and I want you to know him. 436 00:24:20,600 --> 00:24:25,600 Do you believe that he loved you enough, so much that he suffered 437 00:24:25,600 --> 00:24:28,480 for you? Tertullian, who lived in the 2nd 438 00:24:28,480 --> 00:24:31,880 century, said the blood of the martyrs is the seed of the 439 00:24:31,880 --> 00:24:33,840 church. The blood of the martyrs is the 440 00:24:33,840 --> 00:24:36,880 seed of the church. It's just another way of saying 441 00:24:37,000 --> 00:24:40,960 what Jesus said in John 1224. Unless a grain of wheat falls 442 00:24:40,960 --> 00:24:43,880 into the ground and dies, it remains alone. 443 00:24:44,440 --> 00:24:47,400 But if it dies, it bears much free. 444 00:24:47,960 --> 00:24:50,760 And we see the fruit from Peter's life and Paul's life, 445 00:24:51,160 --> 00:24:54,080 from the lives of missionaries across all these centuries, from 446 00:24:54,280 --> 00:24:57,520 the lives of missionaries that we send out into the world, and 447 00:24:58,120 --> 00:25:02,200 from the members of our church. When Jesus is our North Star and 448 00:25:02,200 --> 00:25:06,040 we follow him in this life of sacrificial love, our lives will 449 00:25:06,040 --> 00:25:08,680 bear fruit for his glory. We'll be like a grain of wheat 450 00:25:08,680 --> 00:25:12,560 that goes into the ground and dies, and from it bears much 451 00:25:12,560 --> 00:25:15,800 fruit. And we may never shed blood for 452 00:25:15,880 --> 00:25:19,640 Jesus, but if we're seeking Him and not just seeking our own 453 00:25:19,640 --> 00:25:24,720 comfort, we will be mocked or misunderstood or insulted or 454 00:25:24,720 --> 00:25:27,120 rejected in various ways, as we've said. 455 00:25:27,600 --> 00:25:30,280 So when we experience the world's hatred, will we run? 456 00:25:31,000 --> 00:25:34,480 Or will we rejoice and look for the Spirit's help? 457 00:25:35,080 --> 00:25:39,200 So whether it's smooth sailing or stormy seas, the Spirit wants 458 00:25:39,200 --> 00:25:42,160 to use our lives to point others to Jesus. 459 00:25:43,320 --> 00:25:45,960 It can be scary living for Christ when we don't know what 460 00:25:45,960 --> 00:25:49,640 the world's going to do to us. But friends, when the unknown is 461 00:25:49,640 --> 00:25:52,280 scary, we have to focus on what we know. 462 00:25:53,080 --> 00:25:56,000 And earlier in this passage printed we we know a lot. 463 00:25:56,840 --> 00:25:59,560 We did not choose Jesus, He chose us. 464 00:26:00,360 --> 00:26:03,320 He appointed us to go and bear fruit for His glory. 465 00:26:03,640 --> 00:26:08,400 As we abide in Him, He will give us everything we need so we can 466 00:26:08,400 --> 00:26:11,080 rest in His love and perfect sacrifice for us. 467 00:26:11,080 --> 00:26:14,400 He is the one who laid down His life for us, for His friends, 468 00:26:15,000 --> 00:26:18,320 and we can rejoice that He calls us to love and sacrifice for 469 00:26:18,320 --> 00:26:21,840 Him, to follow Him and love as He loved us. 470 00:26:22,680 --> 00:26:27,000 And we need to remember God is sovereign not just in our 471 00:26:27,000 --> 00:26:32,960 salvation, but in our suffering. He knows who will suffer and 472 00:26:32,960 --> 00:26:35,600 when they'll suffer, and how they'll suffer. 473 00:26:36,480 --> 00:26:39,400 John Bunyan, who wrote Pilgrim's Progress, knew this. 474 00:26:39,840 --> 00:26:43,600 He suffered much, and he wrote these words to encourage us. 475 00:26:43,600 --> 00:26:47,240 Listen as I close. Bunyan says Our sufferings are 476 00:26:47,240 --> 00:26:51,760 ordered and disposed by him. Not that we might always, when 477 00:26:51,760 --> 00:26:55,720 we come into trouble for this name, not stagger, nor be at a 478 00:26:55,720 --> 00:27:01,280 loss, but be stayed composed and settled in our minds, and say 479 00:27:01,720 --> 00:27:07,440 the will of the Lord be done. Let's pray, Lord Jesus, give us 480 00:27:07,440 --> 00:27:10,760 grace to believe what You're teaching in Your Word. 481 00:27:11,360 --> 00:27:14,520 The world will hate us, but Your Spirit will help us. 482 00:27:15,000 --> 00:27:19,320 So be our North Star and guide us through all the suffering, 483 00:27:19,320 --> 00:27:21,720 all the hatred of this world, and into glory. 484 00:27:22,400 --> 00:27:25,680 Lord, we know that this is a hard word to hear, and yet we 485 00:27:25,680 --> 00:27:27,680 know that You've gone before us, Lord. 486 00:27:27,680 --> 00:27:30,960 So for those who believe, Lord, strengthen them in their faith 487 00:27:30,960 --> 00:27:33,480 and their resolve to follow you. Strengthen them knowing that 488 00:27:33,480 --> 00:27:37,120 they have everything in you to live and abide in you and bear 489 00:27:37,120 --> 00:27:39,320 much free. And Lord, for those who don't 490 00:27:39,320 --> 00:27:42,400 know you, I pray they might hear the call even today to look to 491 00:27:42,400 --> 00:27:45,960 Jesus, to this one who suffered and died for us, that we might 492 00:27:45,960 --> 00:27:49,640 have life and that even our suffering in this world would 493 00:27:49,640 --> 00:27:52,920 one day be redeemed. Or that we might share in your 494 00:27:52,920 --> 00:27:57,720 glory and and invite others to join us in this incredible life 495 00:27:57,720 --> 00:28:00,040 in you. Lord, left to ourselves, we know 496 00:28:00,040 --> 00:28:03,320 we're weak and fearful. And so as we come to your table, 497 00:28:03,320 --> 00:28:07,040 give us your strength and courage that we might rejoice to 498 00:28:07,040 --> 00:28:10,640 be your witnesses in this world. And your name we pray. 499 00:28:11,200 --> 00:28:11,560 Amen.