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The Gospel of John, The Period of Conference, Conference With the Disciples, Part XLII, John 15:18-20 - Lesson 150
Read Verses John 15:16 for review: Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you.
John 15:18,19, If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you. If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you.
Disciples, you are not of the world because you are different than the world.
I have chosen you out of the world and therefore you are not like the world.
You are not to love the world neither are you to love the things of the world and if you do not love the world the world will hate you for it.
Jesus Christ is different than the world and the world hates him because he is different.
Those of the world operate by their senses, they live for the present, and are ruled by the opinions and customs of men.
Disciples are not to live that way.
Disciples are to live by faith.
The world does not understand that and will hate you for it if you live by faith.
The world cannot stand differences that point out its error.
The world loves darkness and cannot countenance light.
Jesus Christ was sinless, he made no mistakes, he never failed.
He always spoke truth for he is truth.
He refused to compromise with moral evil, doctrinal error, and hypocrisy.
He exposed the corruption of the established religious order.
I am to remember that any hatred that comes my way because of my testimony for Christ comes my way not because of me but because of Christ.
If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you.
We are to remember Christ is perfect in all things and yet the world hated him.
Are we to expect any better treatment by the world that hates light?
If I abide in Christ the world must hate me, it has no other option.
It cannot love me because if I abide in Christ I reflect his light and the world loves darkness and hates light, therefore the world must hate me
Light will ultimately destroy the world system and anything that will destroy the world system the world will hate.
But God makes the wrath of men to praise him and even the hatred of the world will work for him.
The world's hatred works the work of God because it will strengthen the bond between Christ and his child.
The world's hatred will drive the child to abide in Christ and the union will be stronger for it because of the hatred of the world.
John 15:20 Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept my saying, they will keep yours also.
Jesus Christ spoke similar words in John 13:16: Verily, verily, I say unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord; neither he that is sent greater than he that sent him.
We all know that our Lord was persecuted.
And here in this passage the Lord Jesus Christ tells his disciples to also expect persecution.
The servant is not greater than his Lord and therefore should not expect to receive any better than his Lord.
He is the head and we are members of his body.
If the head is injured do not the members also suffer?
Is this to be a surprise that Christians suffer persecution?
Are we not to have the same enemies as our Lord?
Will not the world hate us and persecute us if we have the mind of Christ?
Will not the world hate me if I preach and live the doctrine of Christ?
Should not the true disciple share the same experiences of his Master?
Is this not a mark of a true and loyal disciple, an abiding disciple?
They of the world have persecuted our Lord and those who abide in the Lord, those who are out and out for the Lord will suffer as he suffered.
If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you.
And 2000 years has brought no change in the world as far as this is concerned.
The world hates light because light testifies of it, that the works of the world are evil.
If they have kept my saying, they will keep yours also.
Jesus Christ is telling us from whom we will receive persecution and from whom we will not.
Those that do not keep his sayings will be the persecutors.
Those who will keep his sayings will not be the persecutors.
Those who keep his sayings will keep the sayings of the true disciple of Christ also.
Those who are of the world are no friend to grace.
We are to love one another.
We are to find love in Christ and in the brethren.
We are not to look to the world for love because the world hates every true disciple of Christ.
The world cannot love the true disciple of Christ because the true disciple of Christ testifies that the works of the world are evil. |