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That's connectwithskip.com. Now let's get started with today's message from Pastor Skip Heitzig. I've been told that you're either a dog person or a cat person. I don't know if that's true. I've had both. I've enjoyed both. I guess I would be called a dog person. I really have had more dogs than cats.
I really love spending time with my little puppy. In fact, let's do an informal poll. How many of you would say you're cat people? Raise your hands. Well, God bless you. You're welcome here. How many of you are dog people?
Raise your hand. Okay, so as I read what I'm about to read, a little disclaimer, not down on cats. Step by step instructions on how to bathe your cat. Be careful not to deviate from any portion of these instructions, as doing so can result in serious injury. Number one, thoroughly clean the toilet. Number two, add the required amount of shampoo to the toilet water and have both lids lifted. Number three, obtain the cat and soothe him while you carry him toward the bathroom. Number four, in one smooth movement, put the cat in the toilet, close both lids. You may need to stand on the lid so that he cannot escape.
Caution, do not get any part of your body too close to the edge. Number five, flush the toilet two or three times. This provides a power wash and rinse, which I've found to be quite effective. Number six, have someone open the door to the outside and ensure that there are no people between the toilet and the outside door. Number seven, stand behind the toilet as far as you can and quickly lift both lids.
Number eight, the now clean cat will rocket out of the toilet and run outside where he will dry himself. Here's the best part, it is signed, sincerely, the family dog. Oh, now we get it. Cats and dogs have opposing natures. Now, that's funny, but something that is more sobering is the world of unbelievers has by and large an opposing nature to the believer. We have a redeemed nature. We've come to Christ, we've been changed, we're redeemed. The unbelieving world has an unchanged, unredeemed nature.
And therefore, there's gonna be some kind of a collision, some sort of firework display when both of those personalities get together. That's important as we begin our paragraph in John chapter 15. In this next section, in this next paragraph, Jesus gives to his disciples, let's call it the downside or the flip side of being a believer, of following him, of being a disciple. It's the consequences of Christianity. Now, if I have one criticism that I would level against modern evangelism, not all of it, but some of it, is that they don't always give the full scoop, the whole truth. They present Christianity light as opposed to what real Christianity is. You know, just come to Jesus and you'll smile all day long and everything's great.
And that's just not the whole truth. Jesus gives the truth, the pros, the cons, the ups, the downs, the advantages and the disadvantages. Now, he has just told them in the previous paragraph, if you were with us last week, that they were his friends. I call you no longer servants, I call you my friends.
What a great paragraph. But here Jesus decides to flip the coin and basically say, you're my friends but you gotta know something as my friends. I've got some enemies. And my enemies don't like my friends.
So with that we begin in verse 18. If the world hates you, you know that it hated me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love its own. If because you are not of the world but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.
Remember the word that I said to you, a servant is not greater than his master? If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they kept my word, they will keep yours also. But all these things they will do to you for my name's sake because they do not know him who sent me. If I had not come and spoken to them, they would have no sin but now they have no excuse for their sin. He who hates me, hates my father also. If I had not done among them the works which no one else did, they would have no sin but now they have seen and also hated both me and my father.
But this happened that the word might be fulfilled which is written in their law, they hated me without a cause. Now I believe that when Jesus spoke these words that this jolted his disciples a bit. They were already a bit skittish for Christ had told them that he was leaving but all through this upper room discourse he has been trying to comfort them. Right, John 14 one, let not your hearts be troubled.
You believe in God, believe also in me. Down a few verses he says, peace I leave with you, my peace I give to you, not as the world gives. And again he says, let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. We keep going down a few verses and he says, these things I have spoken to you that your joy would be full.
So don't let your hearts be troubled, I'm giving you peace, I'm giving you joy, he's bringing comfort. Now he turns a corner and it's like a jolt, he speaks about hatred, animosity, persecution. I remember as a young child being jolted when I was a little kid in school on November 22, 1963. It was the day that Kennedy got shot. I remember sitting in the room at school where I first heard the news, it's indelibly emblazoned in my mind.
I remember where the chalkboard was, I remember the looks on other students faces, my teachers face. I remember staring out the window and I was jolted wondering how could anybody hate our president so much as to do that. It was a shock to me. I think we were all jolted on September 11, 2001 when we discovered that two planes buried themselves into the World Trade Center and another crashed at the Pentagon and another was buried in a field.
Trying to do damage. We were jolted because we came to understand that there were people out there that hate us so much they don't care who gets hurt in the process and there's a lot of them. It's a shock to us. So here's these 11 disciples, they're with Jesus at the Passover, they're walking from the upper room toward the Garden of Gethsemane. Jesus has been comforting them but now. He sort of turns a corner and speaks about something very serious, frankly a sermon none of us really want to hear. I'm going to give you four statements this morning, they're in your bulletin outline. The four statements reflect the relationship we have as believers with the unbelieving world because we're related to Christ. Also these four statements will build one upon another and when they're all together we get the full picture. Also these four statements presuppose that you have a relationship with Christ and you don't mind sharing that relationship with other people. And so here's the first statement, the world hates you. The world hates you Jesus plainly said in verse 18 and 19 let's look more carefully. And as you're looking more carefully I want you to notice how both those verses begin.
They both begin with a conditional clause, an if clause. But the way it's written in the original Greek language there's an assumption built into it. So I'm going to read it with you but I'm going to insert something because I want to give you what I believe is the full force of the original statement. If the world hates you and it does, you know that it hated me before it hated you. If you were of the world and you are not, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.
That's the first statement, the world hates you. You're listening to Connect with Skip Heitzig Weekend Edition. Before we get back to Skip's teaching, God desires to work in and through your life as a believer. And he does this through the Holy Spirit who lives in everyone who places their trust in Jesus. We want to help you better understand the Holy Spirit by sending you The Holy Spirit Then and Now.
A resource featuring two books by Chuck Smith. The book of Acts commentary, Empower, a biblical balance on the person and work of the Holy Spirit with an introduction by Skip Heitzig. This resource is our thanks for your gift of at least $50 today to help share biblical teaching with more people around the world through Connect with Skip Heitzig.
Go to connectwithskip.com slash offer or call 800-922-1888 and request your copy when you give at least $50 today to reach people around the world through Connect with Skip Heitzig. Let's continue with today's teaching with Pastor Skip. Now you will notice as we read through this that the word hate or hatred appears several times in the paragraph that we're dealing with. Six times all together. I want you just to see the contrast between this paragraph and the previous paragraph where we were last week. If you go back to verse 9, you notice another word repeated three times in one verse.
Look at it. Verse 9, as the Father loved me, so I also have loved you. Abide in my love. Three times in one verse. In verse 10, another two times the word love appears. Verse 12, another two times. Verse 13, another one occasion.
And in verse 17, it appears once again. Nine times in one paragraph, love, love, love, love, the love of the Father for the Son, the love of the Son for His disciples, the love of the disciples for one another. It's all about love. Now hate, hate, hate. What's the message? What's the connection?
Simply this. The love of Christ will incur the hatred of this world. Did you know that's a prominent theme in the New Testament? The author of the Gospel of John, John the Apostle, also wrote 1 John, listen to what he writes. 1 John 3 verse 1. Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed upon us that we should be called children of God. Therefore the world does not know you because it did not know Him. Marvel not, my brethren, if the world hates you. That's the first statement, that's the first message Jesus gets across.
The world hates you, my disciple. Well what does Jesus mean by the world? That's a term you're familiar with if you've read the Bible for any length of time. It doesn't mean the globe itself, the planet earth itself. The word world, cosmos, is the Greek word. We get our term cosmic or cosmopolitan from that word. It really means a system, an ordered system of beliefs, values, people, ideologies that are against God, against God's plan and principally against the Lord Jesus Christ. When I was a kid there was a television show called The Wide World of Sports.
Anybody ever heard of that? The Wide World of Sports wasn't a planet in our solar system revolving around the sun. I know a lot of men wish that really did exist and they live there, but it was simply a way of saying here's a system of activities and people and interests that all revolve around sports, the wide world of sports. The world in this idea, this class, is that kind of world. It is headed by Satan who's called the God of this world, 2 Corinthians 4. The God of this world has blinded the minds of those who do not believe. So it's his ordered system that includes the devil, all of his demons who love to use all unbelievers and they're opposed to the singular gospel message that Jesus Christ is the way to salvation. That world hates you. Something you should know about the world.
The world is often very refined, very cultured, very intellectual and very spiritual, very religious. But at the same time, though it wants to be all those things, it's opposed to God, principally opposed to Christ and they're not too crazy about you. That is why if you have become a Christian recently, you feel uncomfortable in places you used to feel comfortable. You walk around and you wonder, why do they look at me that way?
Why do they treat me that way? I don't feel like I belong here anymore. I'm uncomfortable. Sort of like the missionaries who were out where there were cannibals and the cannibals were staring at them, just staring at them. And it made one of them feel very uncomfortable and he said, Why do you keep looking at me that way?
And one of the cannibals said, Well, I am the food inspector. Yeah, that makes me feel uncomfortable. You ever get the idea that the world is looking at you very carefully and scrutinizing you?
It's because they are. And the world, though it includes all of its refinement, all of its culture and all of its religion, the world hates the true follower of Christ. Look at verse 20 now. Jesus said, Remember the word that I said to you. He said this to them in chapter 13. A servant is not greater than his master.
Then he takes that principle and applies it. If they persecuted me, they will also persecute. It's a very strong word for persecuting.
It means to chase, to hunt. They will persecute you. If they kept my word, they will keep yours also. Okay, keep a marker here for a moment and turn in your Bibles to the Gospel of Matthew.
I want you to read something that interfaces with this. Something Jesus also told them. Turn to Matthew chapter 10. Matthew 10. Love to hear those pages turn, by the way.
Put that on tape. Matthew 10, the 16th verse. Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves.
Boy, you know, if I'd have been there, I'd have thought, Thanks a lot. What kind of a lord is this? I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves. Therefore, be wise as serpents and harmless as doves.
And he explains, but beware of men. They will deliver you to councils and scourge you in their synagogues. You will be brought before governors and kings for my name's sake.
As a testimony to them and to the Gentiles. Go down to verse 21 now. Now brother will deliver a brother to death and a father his child, and children will rise up against their parents and cause them to be put to death.
And here it is. And you will be hated by all for my name's sake. Boy, that's exactly what happened. On the day of Pentecost, when the church began and Peter hit the streets of Jerusalem and started proclaiming the gospel, he got into trouble. And after that, when the gospel was taken into Samaria, other parts of Judea, Damascus, when Paul started traveling all around Asia Minor, wherever the gospel was taken, those who preached it were hounded and hassled.
Part of the job, you might say. It happened. The annals of church history record that the earliest Christians under the Roman persecutions were flung to the lions, burned at the stake. A tar pitch was poured upon their bodies and they were used as living torches to light up Nero's gardens at night. Animals were gutted and believers were sewn into the carcasses of these slain animals so that wild dogs would tear them to shreds. Molten lead was poured on the tenderest parts of their bodies.
Eyes were gouged out, et cetera, et cetera. All because they were Jesus' friends and they loved Him. And what of these eleven disciples, the ones Jesus was immediately speaking with? What about them?
What happened to them? Let me tell you about a book if you haven't read. I recommend every Christian read at least once.
It's called Fox's Book of Martyrs. It's a rendering of what happened historically to followers of Christ from the earliest apostles onward till the time it was written. He tells what happens to some of these followers, these apostles. Matthew, slain with a sword in Ethiopia. Mark, dragged through the streets of Alexandria. Luke, hung on an olive tree in Greece. John, placed in boiling oil where record says he didn't die and so he was banished to the island of Patmos. Peter was crucified upside down in Rome. James the greater beheaded in Jerusalem, the Bible records that. James the less was thrown from the temple then beaten to death with clubs. Matthew flayed alive, Andrew bound to a cross where he preached to his persecutors until he died.
Thomas was run through with a lance in East India and Jude was shot to death with arrows. These are Jesus' friends. Now, I don't know what you expected when you came to Christ.
I don't know if somebody told you that you can just name it and claim it and have perfect prosperity and smile your way all the way to heaven. But that aside, whatever has happened in your life since you've come to Christ, anything short of what we just read that happened to these apostles, you live a pretty good life. Okay, but I've had some problems in my life.
Okay, we all have, but you just think of the record of what these people suffered because they were friends of Jesus Christ. And we understand the impact of the statement. You will be hated by all for my name's sake.
So that's principle number one. And no matter what form of hatred that takes, it may not be violent like it was with some of these guys. It might be simply that you're marginalized. People don't pay attention to you. They shun you at work or in family circles. But the world hates you.
Number two, here's the second statement that builds on the first. The world hates you because the world hates God. Now that's quite a statement. Verse 18, Jesus said it's because they hate me. Look at verse 23. He who hates me hates my father also. Also in verse 24 toward the end, but now they have seen and have also hated both me and my father. We're beginning to understand that any hatred the world would have toward us is really a spiritual issue. It's because the God of this world, Satan, who dispatches his demon hordes to influence policy and ideology and thinking of the unbelieving world toward the Christian, that you and I are sort of caught in the crossfire.
But there's a real battle going on. Thanks for listening to Connect with Skip Heitzig Weekend Edition. We hope you've been strengthened in your walk with Jesus by today's program. Before we let you go, we want to remind you about this month's resource that will help you understand the person and work of the Holy Spirit.
Our two-book bundle, The Holy Spirit Then and Now, with two books by Chuck Smith, is our thanks for your support of Connect with Skip Heitzig today. Request your copy when you give $50 or more. Call 800-922-1888.
That's 800-922-1888. Or visit connectwithskip.com slash donate. And did you know that you can find full message series and libraries of content from Skip Heitzig on YouTube? Simply visit the Connect with Skip Heitzig channel on YouTube and be sure to subscribe to the channel so you never miss any new content. Come back next time for more verse-by-verse teaching of God's word here on Connect with Skip Heitzig Weekend Edition. Make a connection, make a connection at the foot of the cross and cast all burdens on His word. Make a connection, a connection. Connect with Skip Heitzig is a presentation of Connection Communications, connecting you to God's never-changing truth in ever-changing times.
