Sermon Tone Analysis

*The Gospel of John XXXI: *

*Persecuted Like Jesus?*

*John 15:18-6:4*

*/September 6, 2009/*

 

 

*Main Point(s) of sermon:*

·         There are two kingdoms: God’s and the World’s, and people in the lands between.

·         The world (in the West) no longer hates and persecutes Jesus as much as ignores him.

·         While Jesus is a stumbling block to many, they first stumble over us, as we are poor witnesses for Christ – sometimes they hate us with reason!

*Objectives of sermon:*

·         Exhort us to bear witness to Jesus’ glory so that the world may go from indifference to either love or hate.

*Prep: *

·         010, 050, 079, 085, 037

·         Skim 1 Peter; John 15:1ff

 

*Scripture reading: John 15:18-21*

 

 

Intro

 

The *last* *passage* was all about being attached to Jesus and his command to love one another, all very *happy* stuff.

Now the subject is a little *darker*.

·         By the way, I love you, but there is *some* *folks* that will *hate* you, and will probably want to *kill* you.

This is really a *tale* of *two* *kingdoms*, the *conflict* between the Kingdom of *God* and the Kingdom of the *world*.

The goal of good *interpretation* is to discover what the Bible *says* in a passage, in its own *context*, and then *determine* how it *applies* to us.

So we will start in Jesus’ day and work to ours.

Q   Do we face *persecution* today in *America*?

Prayer

 

The world has changed so much for us – things are much *easier* for Christians, which is both *good* and *bad*.

As we study this, help us remember *Christians* that are still *persecuted*.

·         Teach us how to live in a manner that *brings* *glory* to you.

Two kingdoms

 

We have to begin by *understanding* what Jesus means by “*world*.”

*John 15:18-19 * “If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first.

19 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.

The Greek word *kosmos* can mean the *earth*, the *created* *world*, *humanity*, but it can also mean “*humanity* in its *alienation* from and *hostility* to its Creator.”

It may be expressed as there being *two* *kingdoms*, the kingdom of God and the kingdom of the world.

One is *ruled* by *God*, one by *Satan*.

The kingdom of God is where *his* “*will* is done.”

The world is where *man* is at the *center*.

·         *Worldliness* is the system that *opposes* *God*.

It is that says “*my* *will* be done.”

To many, this *sounds* *fun*, but remember *sin* is that which *hurts*.

As I said *last* *week*, God’s *will* is the sum of what we *really* *want*, and *our* will (as opposed to his) takes us *away* from *that*.

·         These two systems are in *constant* *conflict*, and cannot truly *coexist*, but *overlap* *now*.

The Matrix

 

A great illustration is “The Matrix.”

The majority of humanity is *controlled* by the machines, *ignorant* of the *real* *world*.

The Matrix represents the world, and *Zion* represents *Heaven*.

The two kingdoms co-exist, yet they are both *at* *odds*, hoping to *destroy* the other.

The system of the *world* is in conflict with the Kingdom of *God* at every point, for it’s centered around the *glory* of God: his *love*, *goodness*, *justice*, etc.

 

·         An *important* *point*: The people in the Matrix~/ the world’s kingdom *aren’t* *bad* – they are *deceived* and held *captive*.

That is *not* to say that *only* *Christians* act in accordance to God’s glory – some non-Christians do is better, as evidence of *God’s* *image* in them.

Hate the system, not the people

 

·         Accordingly, we are not on a *rescue* *mission*, hoping to see people *defect* from one to the other.

Christians are actively working to “*unplug*” people from the *world’s* *system*.

But this doesn’t go *unnoticed*.

Those who are freed are now a *threat* to the *system*.

*John 15:19 *  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.

Here is a *vital* *point*: While the world is made up of *people*, it’s an *impersonal* *system*.

That means that the *enemy* is the world *system*, not the *people* of the world.

There are *two* *groups* of people in the world: Those that may be *reached* and those that are *beyond* *reaching* and are perpetually hostile to the kingdom of God.

 

·         We can never know *which* is *which*; *Paul* was one of the first persecutors, yet became one of the greatest apostles.

\   The world, as Jesus says here, is the entire *system* that *opposes* God and hence will *oppose* his *followers*.

Yet we are called to *reach* those in it, for “God so *loved* the world.”

The 1st century situation

 

Jesus is *preparing* the disciples for the *future*.

Remember that they thought of the *Messiah* *establishing* the kingdom of God in fullness.

It is vital that they understood that things would not go according to plan, lest they think Jesus *wasn’t* the *Messiah*.

*John 16:1-4 * “All this I have told you so that you will not go astray.  2 They will put you out of the synagogue; in fact, a time is coming when anyone who kills you will think he is offering a service to God.  3 They will do such things because they have not known the Father or me.  4 ¶ I have told you this, so that when the time comes you will remember that I warned you.

This wasn’t a *distant* *warning*.

Within *two* *years*, *Stephen* would be martyred and Jewish persecution would begin in earnest.

Just as important, to the *original* *readers*, this was their reality.

Towards the end of the 1st century, part of the daily prayers of Jews *explicitly* *excluded* Christians from their fellowship:

 

“For the apostates let there be no hope, and let the arrogant government [= Rome] be speedily uprooted in our days.

Let the Nazarenes [=Christians] and the Minim [= heretics] be destroyed in a moment and let them be blotted out of the Book of Life and not be inscribed with the righteous.

Blessed art thou, O Lord, who humblest the arrogant.”

Being put out of the *synagogue* was more than losing your church, it was losing your *national* *identify* and *social* *security*.

By becoming Christians, they risked everything.

·         I have point out that when Christians came into power, they *repaid* this a *thousandfold*, to our *shame*.

Don’t be surprised

 

Here’s our *key* *point*: There is *no* *promise* of *ease* or *acceptance*.

Our *expectation* should begin at *rejection*, perse*c*ution, and *death*, and we should be happy for anything better!

·         Because Christians have been the *majority* for so long, we *forget* that we were *never* *meant* to be at *home* here.

So often I hear Christians respond with *shock* and *dismay* about how *unchristian* *America* is, but it never was Christian.

It has *always* been part of the *world’s* *system*, in varying forms.

Not our home

 

There is a *profound* *danger* is expecting the *political* and *cultural* landscape to *accept* us – it makes us *too* *at* *home* here.

The lack of persecution gives us a *false* sense of *security*.

·         We are *lulled* into believing this is our *home*, but *heaven* is our *real* *home*.

*Colossians 3:1-4 * Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God.  2 Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.

3 For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God.  4 When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.

Our *hearts*, *purpose*, *hopes*, and *joy* should be focused on *God*, not earth.

And it was this *allegiance* was one of the things that got early Christians *persecuted* by the *Romans*.

·         This isn’t *escapism*, but *holding* this world *lightly*, while fully *engaging*.

Never forget how *radical* this is – it is still makes us *unpopular*.

It is not surprising then that Paul places such *emphasis* on the *resurrection* – it is the *evidence* that there is another kingdom, one worthy of our full allegiance.

Does the world hate Jesus?

As we seek to apply this passage to us today, let’s look at the *persecution* we face in the *western* *world*: *What* persecution?

The *majority* of us will never face anything like *real* *persecution*.

The most likely cases are where a *new* *Christian* is rejected by fam*i*ly and *friends*.

·         Christians most certainly are *persecuted* in other parts of the world, *India*, *Middle* *East*, *China*.