|
|
|
|
Fruit Bearing For God, Part VI, John 15:18-25
We continue our study of this chapter of John’s Gospel concerning the instruction of Jesus to his disciples about fruit bearing as a result of abiding in Christ.
Fruit bearing is a wonderful subject but Jesus brings to their mind what we would call unexpected consequences that will attend fruit bearers.
For fruit bearers, who are called branches will take on the image of the vine.
So to prepare his disciples for these consequences, Jesus adds a warning to this instruction.
And the warning is that once you take on Christ, and evidence the fruit of the Spirit and walk as Christ walked the world will react as it reacted to Christ.
Jesus is telling his disciples that the world will never change its stripes for the world and how it reacts to Christ will always react in the same manner to those who are Christ like.
When you abide in Christ and you take on the image of Christ, Jesus addresses in John 15:18,19, that which will take place in your life, for what took place while He walked the roads of Israel, will also take place in those who abide in Him.
So He begins this warning in 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.
Now in this passage Jesus is talking to abiders.
He is not talking to the casual Christian, the “whatever” Christian, the Christian who does not take the walk of Christ seriously.
I think one of the failures of the modern church is its failure to take the cause of Christ seriously.
David said, “Is there not a cause?”
I am afraid the answer from much of Christianity today is, No there is not!
But Jesus is talking to disciples, those who know there is a cause, those who by abiding have become different than the world for they display the fruit of the Spirit.
They are the ones chosen out of the world and therefore are not like the world.
They are those who love not the world neither love the things of the world and because of this the world will hate them for it.
Jesus Christ is different than the world and the world hates him because he does not conform to the world.
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 not to live by sight but 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 is sinless, he makes no mistakes, and he never, nor will ever fail.
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 for darkness cannot abide light.
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.
So Jesus Christ continues His instruction to His disciples in:
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.
Paul picked up on this teaching when he told Timothy in 2 Timothy 3:12, Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.
As did Peter in I Peter 4:12-14, Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you: 13 But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ's sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy. 14 If ye be reproached for the name of Christ, happy are ye; for the spirit of glory and of God resteth upon you: on their part he is evil spoken of, but on your part he is glorified.
So we are to walk in this truth!
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?
Won’t the world hate me if I preach and live the doctrine of Christ?
Shouldn’t the true disciple share the same experiences of his Master?
Isn’t this 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 and has always hated light, because light testifies of it, that the works of the world are evil.
And as far as this statement of Christ is concerned: 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.
This is what abiders will do for abiders will stand for Christ!
John 15:21, But all these things will they do unto you for my name's sake, because they know not him that sent me.
Knowing God keeps one from persecuting the children of God.
Not knowing God results in one persecuting the children of God.
Not knowing God is living in darkness and in darkness is blindness.
Those who bear the name of Christ are walking on account of Christ.
They do not represent themselves.
They have taken the name of Christ and they therefore represent Christ.
They carry the light of Christ which the world hates because it brings reproach on the world.
The light of Christ points out in complete clarity the sin of the world, the error of the world, the darkness of the world.
So all these things will they do unto you (Christian) because you represent your Lord. You bear his name.
All the malice of earth and hell is aimed at the Son of God.
Crush those who bear his name and Satan hopes to crush Christ.
If you operate in the name of Christ you must receive opposition from Satan. |