Staying Faithful when the World Stands Against You (John 15)

 We are going through the Gospel of John, and in chapter 15:18-20, Jesus says, “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. Remember what I told you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also." People who reject Christ will reject you if they see Christ in you. Jesus encourages his disciples and us with the explanation of why people stand against us, how the Holy Spirit is working around us, This is a comforting message for those who may suffer for living for Jesus in our godless culture and a challenging message for those who try to keep everyone happy by not talking about their faith and standing for their Biblical convictions. Whether you're facing opposition at work, school, or in your personal life, this message will provide practical insights and spiritual strength to help you stay the course. 

NOTES:

Rockwell Church     Aug 25, 2024     Pastor Chris Teien
Staying Faithful When the World Stands Against You
John 15:18-16:4

1. EXPECT Opposition to your Faith in Christ (Jn. 15:18-25)

2. ENTRUST the Holy Spirit’s Power (Jn. 15:26-27)

3. ENDURE Persecution with the Future in Mind (Jn. 16:1-6)

The WELL Faith Podcast offers encouraging, Bible-based messages from Pastor Chris Teien and guests. New sermons are released every Sunday. Replay episodes are marked with an asterisk. Find us online at ChrisTeien.com and Rockwell.Church in Virginia, MN. Email comments to wellfaith24@gmail.com

Transcript

Chris T 0:16

Staying faithful when the world stands against you. Staying faithful when the world stands against you. It's a message that, or in the book of John, that Jesus was telling his disciples, because he's already, you know, said that he was leaving, and he's trying to encourage the disciples, and he's trying to, you know, prepare them for what comes next. And while he's preparing them, he's like, guys, I have deflected so much criticism and so much persecution from you while I was here. But when I'm gone, you're gonna, with the help of the Holy Spirit, you're gonna come across it. It's coming to you. You're in a spiritual battle, and the religious people are even going to turn against you. Expect it. Don't think something's wrong when you are persecuted. Don't think something's wrong when people turn against you. The World Evangelical Encyclopedia says since the death of Jesus Christ 2,000 years ago, 43 million Christians have been martyred. Over 50% of these were in the last century alone. More than 200 million Christians face persecution each day, 60% of whom are children. Every day, over 300 people are killed for their faith in Christ. And so I don't know what level of persecution you have faced. So now we live in a cancel culture, and if I read something from a particular author or preacher, and I always say, you know, just because I quoted them doesn't mean I stand for 100% of everything they've ever said, done, or written. You know, it's just a good quote from a person that, you know, in the time was worth repeating. Uh, you get easily canceled. You have to be aware of what people think of you. You have to, you know, when you're a pastor, you want to make sure that people don't reject you for different things. In 1998, when my family was moving up here to live in Chisholm, we had heard, turned out it was old news, but we had heard on the Iron Range that you didn't want to drive foreign cars. So we had this great opportunity to buy a Nissan Pathfinder, and instead we bought a Dodge caravan because we didn't want anybody to reject us because we were driving a Nissan, and we get up here and they're like, yeah, that was true like 20 years ago, but uh you should have brought the Nissan. And then in 2001, when I was at the Chisholm Church, um, a relative, well, Julie's grandpa, said, I'm not going to be able to keep driving for very long. And when I'm not able to, I'm going to give you a really good deal on my next to new Cadillac Concourse to Bill, black chrome, dart-tinted windows. Everything about it was awesome. What a great car for us to have. He's like, take it for a drive. And we were driving and with the roof open and you could see the bald eagles flying around. And so when I went back, I told the senior pastor of that church, I said, I don't think that that would be a good idea for me to drive that car because people would think I would get paid too much or I was a drug dealer or be suspicious of me and the cost of the car. And he said, You are so correct. That is so true. But if you went out and brought a brand new Ford F-150, nobody would say a word. They'd just say you needed it for hunting. And then when I, again, I care what people think. So when I found out I was coming to move up here again, the first thing I did is I went down to the mobile phone store and I said, I need you to change my area code to 218, because I don't want to be seen as a 61 tour, even though I was a 9-5 tour, because I didn't want to have that distance. So being a Christian, sometimes you pay attention to what people think of you because you don't want to be rejected because you dress weird or you know you're not following the times or whatever. On the other hand, you don't want to give in and follow the world culture and live in sin and do things that are wrong, uh, things that God wouldn't be proud of. So I don't think God necessarily cared, you know, if I was driving a caravan or a pathfinder. And if I got a great deal on the Cadillac, I'm sure that that would have been okay. Um, God knew I needed to change my area code. He just knew that that was that was not anything that could be negotiated. But we can expect persecution. So in this New Testament that we give away, hopefully you give it away, um, there's many more in my office to give away, um, there are um some texts that are very helpful. So in Luke chapter 22, Jesus tells Simon Peter, Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift you like wheat, but I have pleaded in prayer for you, Simon, that your faith should not fail. So when you have repented and turn to me again, strengthen your brothers. And Peter says, Lord, I'm ready to go to prison with you and even die with you. And Jesus said, Peter, let me tell you something. Before the rooster crows tomorrow morning, you will deny me three times that you deny three times that you even know me. And there is, when we are persecuted, when we are oppressed, when uh bad things happen. Sometimes people uh get real quiet about their faith, some even um fall away. And Paul told Timothy in 2 Timothy 3, he said, You should know, verse 2 Timothy 3 1, you should know, Timothy, that in the last days there will be very difficult times. So let me let me just think if you've heard any people like this. For people will love only themselves and their money. They will be boastful and proud, scoffing at God, disobedient to their parents and ungrateful. They will consider nothing sacred, they will be unloving and unforgiving, they will slander others and have no self-control. They will be cruel and hate what is good, they will betray their friends, be reckless, be puffed up with pride and love pleasure rather than God. They will act religious, but they will reject the power that could make them godly. Stay away from people like that. And if you skip down to verse 10, so he says, But you, Timothy, know what I teach and how I live and my what my purpose in life is. You know my faith, my patience, my love, my endurance. You know how much persecution and suffering I have endured. You know all about how I was persecuted in Antioch, Iconium, and Lystra. But the Lord rescued me from all of it, yes, and everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution. But evil people and impostors will flourish, they will deceive others and will themselves be deceived. But you must be remained faithful to the things you have been taught. So you can read more in that. And then I'm going to quote Finney. I don't agree with 100% of everything Charles Finney said, but it's a good quote. So in this book where it talks about who is the devil, it says, um, unfortunately, far too many people do not have an accurate view of who the devil is. He's also referred to as Satan. Many underestimate him and his prowess, even going so far as to doubt his very existence. Someone asked the great evangelist Charles Finney, Mr. Finney, do you believe in a literal devil? Finney replied, You try opposing him for a while and you see if he's literal or not. You will find out how literal the devil is the moment you make a commitment to Jesus Christ. And it seems like as we get serious about living out our faith, sharing our faith, um, all sorts of temptations, difficulties, and even persecution come along. So, number one, out of my three points, number one, expect, expect opposition to your faith in Christ. Expect that not everybody's gonna love you, especially if you're truly living for Jesus. Now you would hope that they would tolerate your love for Jesus, but for some reason in our culture now, we're supposed to tolerate everybody except Christians. So you can say anything you want about anybody. Um that's backwards, actually. You can't say anything you want about anybody, unless it's a Christian, then it's okay. Ha ha ha ha, they say. But Jesus, he knew this was coming, and he says to his disciples in John 15, 18, if the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. If you belong 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. So King Herod sought to kill Jesus in Matthew chapter 2. He was hated, Jesus was hated at the beginning and he was hated at the end when the people rejected him as Savior and called for his crucifixion. So the world system is the organized system under Satan's domain that is opposed to God and his rightful King, Jesus Christ. So in this world that we live in, um, by default, people do not follow God. By default, their eyes are blinded and they are unable to uh truly even understand who Jesus truly is. The Holy Spirit convicts them, the Holy Spirit helps them. And then when we become Christians, we become a new creation, the chains of sin are broken, and we are released from the slavery that people like us had to Satan, and we are made new and made free to become servants of the Lord Jesus Christ. So in D.A. Carson's Jesus Farewell Discourse and Final Prayer, he points out that we see the world's hatred in those who claim to be liberal and tolerant of differing viewpoints, but who are not so tolerant when it comes to Christian absolutes, he states, they demonstrate their forbearance and large-hearted goodness when they confront diverse opinions, varied lifestyles, and even idiotic practices. But if some Christian claims that Christianity is exclusive, as Jesus insisted, or that moral absolutes exist because they are grounded in the character of God, as the Bible teaches, or that there is a hell to be shunned as well as a heaven to be gained, the most intemperate language is used to excoriate the poor fool the world hates. And so then in verse 20, Jesus says, 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. So the world chases after the things that they want, the temporary things, uh, not the eternal things of God. So the world refers to the unbeliever, the unredeemed, the lost, those who have never trusted Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. The world stands for every person whose thoughts and lives are centered upon the lust of the flesh, the cravings of sinful man like food, clothes, money, immortality, the lust of the eyes, evil and immoral thoughts, coveting, seeming, and desiring people and things, and the pride of life, position, boasting, honor, fame, high-mindedness, and self-centeredness. And so they hated Christ first, but if we're going to live in Christ, the world will hate us as a result. Verse 22. Jesus said, 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. So that doesn't mean that, you know, if Jesus had never said anything, that they wouldn't be trapped in their sin. What Jesus is saying is they have no excuse because the Jews had uh before Jesus came prophecies that Jesus was going to come and do miracles and things, but they chose to reject Jesus, they chose to reject Jesus' teaching, they chose to reject Jesus' miracles, and they thought they were doing God's will by persecuting Jesus, by putting Jesus on the cross. They thought that they were doing God's will. And so we have a different calling. We are uh chosen out of this evil world to follow after Jesus, and we have a different master to follow. The world follows after Satan. By default, I don't think anybody on the street would say, oh yeah, well, actually, there's a guy at Walmart that is very clearly a Satanist. He's got a little boy. I see him, I don't know why I see him so often, but uh he like wears Satanist shirts and he's got Satanist tattoos, and so, but uh most people they're like like, oh, I don't hate Christians, oh no, I I don't follow after the devil. But by default, by default, they don't love Christ, they're not interested in what Christ followers do. And the more Christ followers live for Christ and stand for Christ and vote for um principles and policies that would honor Christ and follow the Bible, the more people get upset. So verse 24, Jesus said, If I had done, 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. So Jesus said that he knew that this was happening. He knew that it was going to happen to him, and he's telling his disciples, I guys, I want you to know it is going to happen to you. So don't be surprised when this happens to you. I had a thought. All right, 1 Timothy 3 12. In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted. Peter wrote to the persecuted church, and he said, Dear friends, don't be surprised at the fiery trials you're going through, as if something strange were happening to you. Instead, be very glad. For these trials make you partners with Christ in his suffering, so that you will have the wonderful joy of seeing his glory when it is revealed to all the world. So, what hurts the most is not when the world out there persecutes you, as much as when you get well-meaning religious people inside the church, or claim to be Christ followers, or claim to be Christian, or claim, you know, I'm a member of such and such church, and this is my pastor or religious leader, and so um our church believes that everything that you say is wrong is right, so therefore you're the problem.

unknown 15:17

R.

Chris T 15:17

C. Sproull wrote an early church persecution from within. He said the reality in the first century was that most the most intense persecution of the Christian church came not from the Romans, but from the Jewish community. The Romans and the outside world viewed the Christian community as merely a small sect of Judaism. Christianity did not spread globally and become a world religious force until after Jerusalem was destroyed and the Jewish people were scattered among the nations. And it is a tough thing when religious people that claim to be godly are the ones that are persecuting you. 1 Peter 4.14. And then we're gonna watch a video clip. So wanna grab the legger? If you are insulted because you bear the name of Christ, you will be blessed, for the glorious Spirit of God rests upon you. So let's just see what this might look like in someone's real life.

SPEAKER_01 16:22

Nursing is unique because it's probably one of the main professions where you're with the patient all the time, and you have that opportunity to be with the patient right before they are put under and and uh go into surgery. There was a patient there, she was Hindu, she had asked me a lot about Christianity, and so I was able to share with her about you know what Christianity is. What is it to be a follower of Christ? And that same day I met a chaplain who was there, and I was asking him, how do you minister to different patients of different belief systems in an effective way? That is the time when he went on the offensive, and I saw his even the way he stood, his tone of voice, everything about changed. And that he no longer asked me questions. He started making statements about me. He did not want Christianity, the true belief in Christ, to be an option for any patient. And so sure enough, I was called the office and they ended my contract because I shared my faith. I knew that legally I was entitled to praying with a patient and sharing your faith is definitely allowed and it's actually encouraged as you go through nursing school when you're dealing with patients who could literally die in the next moment, or right before they go into surgery or during surgery. Absolutely, we have a responsibility to minister to that in some way to address that need.

SPEAKER_00 17:43

He had tears in his eyes and told me, you know, he had just been let go. I already knew in my mind exactly kind of what had happened, uh, because we had sort of felt prepared for that. But I did it again feel like me and my world has been rocked.

SPEAKER_01 17:58

I remember telling her dad, you know, I'm gonna take care of your daughter. I made this promise at the altar, and here it is, only a couple months into marriage, and then bam, I don't have a job. What am I gonna do? Samantha and I considered following up with a lawsuit. And I really just I thought about, you know, what do I want to have attached to my name?

SPEAKER_00 18:21

Jeremiah pretty much um told me, you know, I really don't think this is what God has for us. I really took that to heart. We were in a huge waiting period. I had feelings of doubt when we had to wait for three months or so till we found the next job.

SPEAKER_01 18:36

Now I've got my wife, you know, in an insecure situation, and no longer do I have a, you know, paycheck that I know that's gonna come in, and no longer will we have insurance, and no longer will we have a house, and we're gonna have to move right away. We have to pack up all our bags. And why didn't I just go the route that wouldn't have caused that conflict? And you know, why can't I just have chosen the way that was easy? I would be angry and then I'd be satisfied. I'd be hurting and then I'd be okay. The thought of just giving up is actually a really sad thought, but it's it's a natural thing that happens. Did I ever have those thoughts? Yeah, I did.

SPEAKER_00 19:14

I had the fears of, well, what if he said something again and something happened? I obviously had the insecurities of not having a job.

SPEAKER_01 19:21

Looking back on that situation definitely made an impact on the things I would say next. And I was very hesitant to even tell anyone that I would even go to church, let alone be a Christian. And for a period of time, for about a good solid year, I was almost silent. And then after a while, um that fear got kind of worked in my heart, that pain has gone away, and now I can be more bold, I can share my faith more openly as the opportunities present themselves. At this time, uh I'm working as a home health nurse, I'm using every opportunity I can to share Christ. I've prayed with my patients, I'm loving them, I'm loving people, I'm doing the things that Christ wants me to do, and I'm being the person that God wants me to be. My passion is, you know, Christ. It's allowing God to work through me, just simply being faithful to him, being the person that he created me to be, and allowing him to work in me and through me. And uh wherever that takes me, you know, and Samantha will go.

Chris T 20:24

Alright, so that's an example of um what can happen to you at work, uh, how God can give you a different job, how you can uh how your faithfulness can be tried. So there's different um lists of how the disciples died, um, but one says that John died of extreme old age after being exiled to an island. Judas Iscariot obviously hanged himself. Peter was crucified upside down during the persecution of Nero. Andrew died on a cross at Patre in Achaea, the Grecian colony. James, the younger brother of the Savior, was thrown from a pinnacle of the temple and beaten to death with a club. Bartholomew was flayed alive. James, the elder son of Zebedee, was beheaded at Jerusalem. Thomas the doubter was run through the body with a lance. Philip was hanged against a pillar. Um died on the cross in Persia, now known as Iran. So there's this book called the Fox's Book of Martyrs, and what it basically does is it um tells all about these different persecutions in the past. One example is um A.D. 1560, Pope Pius IV ordered all the Protestants to be severely persecuted throughout the Italian states when great numbers of every age, sex, and condition suffered martyrdom. And so, as you read it, uh it tells not only about the people that were martyred, but the extreme faith that they had and how the Holy Spirit helped them endure. So John Fox did not write his book for historians. However, he wrote it to document the persecution against Christ Church by pagans and those who called themselves Christians but were not. It's a book about God's grace in Christian faithfulness. It's a spiritual book of the highest order, and its historical information is only there to set the times, the people, and the places and the circumstances. For over 400 years, Fox's book has endured as a memorial to the martyrs and a legacy of inspiration encouraged to the true church of Christ. So there's another resource website, Voice of the Martyrs, that has like the extreme devotion book and websites, and you can look up countries and it will tell you about the level of persecution. Like an example was I looked up Qatar and how dangerous that is for Christians to live there, and but I don't have time to share that. But it is a great resource. So, all right, back to John. When the advocate, Jesus says in verse 26, when the advocate, the Holy Spirit comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, who goes out from the Father, he will testify about me. And you also must testify, for you have been with me from the beginning. So we are supposed to be used of God through the power of the Holy Spirit to also testify. Acts 1.8. You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea, and Samaria to the ends of the earth. And that could be scary. You could suffer persecution for that. People might not like to hear what you have to say, even when you do it in the most winsome, caring, compassionate way. But we know in Romans 8.16 that the Spirit Himself testifies with our Spirit that we are God's children, and that gives us comfort. And number three, we need to endure if we go through persecution or when we go through persecution, we need to endure it with the future in mind. With the future in mind, with the heavenly home in mind, with the knowledge that Jesus knows what we're going through. He knows that it can be used for the good of the kingdom of God. It shows our faithfulness and glorifies him. And in chapter 16, verse 1, he says, 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. So again, he was protecting them. He was um, you know, shelf shielding them from that. But now they're going to stand on their own. And verse 5, but now I'm going to him who sent me. None of you asks me, where are you going? Rather, you are filled with grief because I have said these things. So Jesus warned them. And so they didn't really, you know, ask Jesus, why, why, why are you going to go through this? Or where exactly are you going? They were just focused on, oh wow, this isn't, this doesn't sound very good. So I don't know. How does this actually turn out good for us? I don't know. But when the Holy Spirit came upon these disciples, they were powerfully used by God to make a difference in the world, powerfully used by God to proclaim their faith. And we too should do the same thing. So it's possible that we could be more effective if we had more non-Christian friends. So some of us only know people in the church, and we don't have anybody to share our faith with, or we're not connected with anybody out there, and maybe it's just because we're busy, or maybe it's because we don't want to be around those people that you know maybe they maybe they drink too much, maybe they swear too much, maybe they, you know, do things that don't necessarily, you know, reflect our Christian lifestyle. If we're going to be ambassadors for Christ, uh maybe we'll have to move out. I've heard of some people getting discipled, trained up in the church, and then starting, and then instead of going to play in the church softball leagues, they entered themselves in the beer softball leagues to be around those other people that don't know Christ yet. You can't expect non-Christians to live the Christian life. Of course, they're going to say things and think things that are non-Christian, but it doesn't mean that it has to affect you and change you. You can still live boldly for Christ and not mar your testimony or fall into sin. Um you should do that with somebody else with you. It's always better when it's more than just you. So you should pray for alertness to opportunities and boldness when you speak, when you have opportunities, when you um are in conversations with people and pray that God could use you. So you should expect from the world that what Jesus received from the world, mostly hatred, but some fruit. So we should pray for boldness. So in Matthew chapter 5, Jesus says, God blesses those who are persecuted for doing right, for the kingdom of heaven is theirs. God blesses you when people mock you and persecute you and lie about you and say all sorts of evil things about you because you are my followers. And in verse 12, be happy about it. Be very glad, for a great reward awaits you in heaven. And remember, the ancient prophets were persecuted in the same way. So there are many opportunities that we have to live for Christ, but we should realize that we can find ourselves being questioned, ridiculed, passed over for promotions, rejected, mocked, attacked, criticized, isolated and cut off, or even tortured for our faith. And we may choose to question our beliefs or have a weaker faith and be afraid of what would happen next. Like in the video, like his wife is like, Well, I was kind of afraid he was gonna open his mouth again and lose this job too, Sharon Jesus. So, um, and it may silence a believer and his witness and cause a believer to deny Christ. So um I'm gonna pray in the worship team will come forward, but I'll just quote John MacArthur here. So the Holy Spirit convicts the world on, um, and he says, an article, the Holy Spirit convicts the world. Uh he says, How in the upper room discourse Christ promises to counter the problems that we will encounter in this evil world. Jesus says, The world hates you, but I love you. The world is your enemy, but I am your friend. The world gives you trouble and anxiety, but I give you my peace. The world will cause you sorrow, but I give you my joy. The world may kill you, but I give you eternal life. The world is under Satan's power, but you will have the power of the Holy Spirit dwelling in you. Lord Jesus, I thank you. That we have your word to hold on to. I thank you, we have the historic witness and testimonies of other Christians who have stood strongly for their faith, too numerous to mention all of the people who have stood so strong, even to give us the Bible in the common man's language. Tyndale was persecuted. Lord, help us to live strongly for Christ. Help us to live boldly for Christ, help us to just look at the opportunities around us and step up boldly with the help of your spirit to make a difference in the world. And we ask us all in Jesus' name, Amen.