We must testify about God

The World Hates the Disciples

John 15: 18~27

¹⁸"If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. ¹⁹If 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. ²⁰Remember the words I spoke to you: 'No servant is greater than his master. If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also. If they obeyed my teaching, they will obey yours also. ²¹They will treat you this way because of my name, for they do not know the One who sent me. ²²If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not be guilty of sin. Now, however, they have no excuse for their sin. ²³He who hates me hates my Father as well. ²⁴If I had not done among them what no one else did, they would not be guilty of sin. But now they have seen these miracles, and yet they have hated both me and my Father. ²⁵But this is to fulfill what is written in their Law: 'They hated me without reason. ²⁶"When the Counselor 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. ²⁷And you also must testify, for you have been with me from the beginning.

I. Message:

Content:

• The world hates Jesus and Christians as well. (v. 18)
• The world hates Christians, because they have been chosen by God from the world. So, they do not belong to the world anymore. (v. 19)
• The world treats Christians the way they treated Jesus. (v. 20)
• The world knows the Father and Jesus, by means of Jesus’ behaviors and teachings. But they still hate Jesus. (v. 21~25)
• The Holy Spirit who comes out from the Father will testify about Jesus.

(v. 26)

• Christians must also testify about Jesus. (v. 27)

Themes:

1. Christians don’t belong to the world. So the world hates Christians.

2. The world knows that no one goes to the Father except through Jesus and that He is the way, the truth and the life. But, they still cling to their sins and to the world.

3. We must testify about God.

II. Who is God, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit?

• Jesus Christ was hated by the world. (v.18, v. 23~24)
• We were chosen from the world by Jesus. (v. 19)
• Jesus Christ was persecuted. (v. 20)
• Jesus Christ was sent to the world by God. (v. 21)
• Jesus Christ has come and spoken to us. (v. 22)
• He who hates Jesus hates God. (v. 23)
• Jesus Christ sent out the Holy Spirit. (v. 26)
• The Spirit of truth. (v. 26)
• Jesus Christ was testified by the Holy Spirit. (v. 26)
• Jesus Christ is with us (the Christians). (v. 27)

III. What does the passage teach us (about commands, promises, examples, exhortations and warnings)?

1. Two groups are extremely different: (v. 18~20)

Jesus told the disciples to love each, also reminded them that the world will hate them because they hate Jesus that pointed out their guiltiness and their sins. Thus, when Jesus came to the world, he broke up the original structure into two groups. One group is still living and bind with sins, the other group is chosen out of the world by Jesus. He broke up the structure. So, surely they hated and were against the disciples more than they hated and were against Jesus.

Reflection: Between these two extremely different groups, do I often choose the left side (the world), the right side (Jesus) or do I stay neutral?

2. Consecrated life: (v. 18~20)

After we were chosen by God to live a consecrated life, we no longer belong to the world. We don’t live within the guiltiness and sin as the others. It will be natural to be hated and to be rejected by the world. To be a Christian, one shouldn’t be afraid to be hated for walking on the passage of truth. If a Christian’s life standard level is the same as the world (The unbelievers) then there must be something wrong with his life of faith.

Reflection: Is my life different from the unbeliever’s? Do I have the same lifestyles and values of an unbeliever or is my life completely different from theirs?

3. They still cling to their sins and to the world. (v.21~25)

In Chinese there is a saying “You aren’t a sinner if you don’t know that you committed a sin. But if you knew that it was a sin and still do it, then you ought to be punished more than you deserve.” Jesus has pointed out that He is the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Him. The world knew this, but they still hated Jesus and the disciples. This is sin needs an extra degree of punishment.

Reflection: As a Christian, do I often commit sins against my spirituality even if I knew that they were wrong? If yes, God, have a mercy on me!

4. The Trinity of God (v. 26)

Jesus said “When the Counselor comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father”. In this passage the names: the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit appear. We see through this passage that the God we trust in and rely on is the Trinity.

Reflection: How much do I know about the God we believe in? Do I totally understand the doctrine of the Trinity?

5. The Holy Spirit’s promises: (v. 26)

After Jesus died and rose up into heaven. God sent the Holy Spirit to the world.

When the Holy Spirit came, it touched, led, consoled, supported, prayed, etc. God is with us forever.

Reflection: Do I believe the Holy Spirit’s promises? Do I understand the work of the Holy Spirit? Do I rely on and submit to the Holy Spirit?

6. The power of testimony: (v. 26~27)

God prepared two powers to cover the hatred of Jesus and Christians. The first power is the Holy Spirit’s (the Counselor, the Spirit of truth) testimony. The second power is the Christian’s testimony.

Reflection: Do I testify for God and preach gospel in this era full of guilt and darkness?

Translated by Teresa Yang