HATED BY THE WORLD

JOHN 15:18-21

I. THE WORLD’S HATRED OF CHRIST AND HIS FOLLOWERS 15:18

The Greek word for world here (kosmos), refers in this context to the realm of evil, mankind alienated from God, openly hostile to God and controlled by Satan. John 3:19; Ephesians 2:1-3; 1 John 2:15-17; 1 John 5:19; Revelation 12:9

Because Satan hates God, he also hates the true people of God. They are targets of his wrath as he prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. (1 Peter 5:8)

Jesus said: the world hated Me (perfect tense – hated me in the past and continues to hate me in the future); it will therefore hate (present tense – continue to hate) my followers. The Greek word for “hate” here is (miseō – to detest, despise, abhor, persecute).

The world did not hate Jesus because of His message of love and forgiveness. The world did not hate Jesus because of His miracles and His acts of kindness, compassion and mercy.

The world hated Christ because:

●His righteousness exposed sin in others; Jesus was without sin.

●He called men and women to repent of their sin or they would perish.

●He called on men and women to believe on Him as their only hope of forgiveness and the only way to heaven.

●He broke the traditions of the religious community.

●He rebuked the religious establishment for their hypocrisy.

●He provoked the religious leaders to jealousy because he was getting more attention than they were.

●He hung out with sinners, the broken, the poor, the downcast.

●He broke racial and cultural barriers, showing no partiality due to class, race, or gender.

It was bad enough that He exposed the hypocrisy and sin of the religious establishment, but He claimed to be equal with God, which infuriated the religious leaders of His day and threw them into a rage. John 5:18, 8:58, 10:30, 14:6, 14:9; Revelation 1:8

If as Christ’s followers, we profess openly our allegiance to the Lord Jesus Christ alone, as the only Savior of sinners, and live as He lived, we will be hated as He was and is hated today.

Jesus told His disciples that they would receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon them to be His martyrs (witnesses) Acts 1:8.

Paul said in 2 Timothy 3:12 - Indeed, all who desire to live godly (live God-like) in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.

II. THE CAUSES OF THE WORLD’S HATRED 15:19-21

The world hates believers because they do not belong to this world. vs. 19

As children of God (and no longer children of this world), believers live in the world but they are no longer of the world. In John 17:16, speaking of His disciples, Jesus said: They are not of this world even as I am not of this world.

Paul was commissioned by Christ to rescue sinners from the dominion of darkness to light and from the dominion of Satan to God. (Acts 26:18)

Though believers live in the world, they are to stand apart from the world as an indictment and a denunciation of it.

Paul charged the Philippian believers, prove yourselves to be blameless and innocent, children of God above reproach in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among who you appear as lights in the world (Philippians 2:15).

And he charged the Ephesian believers not to participate in the unfruitful deeds of darkness, but instead even expose them (Ephesians 5:11).

Unbelievers love those who are like them; who do what they do, speak like they speak, watch what they watch, think like they think, and believe like they believe. The true believer has nothing spiritually or morally in common with the world.  2 Corinthians 6:14-16

The world hates believers because it first hated Jesus. vs. 20

Christians have no right to expect better treatment from the world than Jesus received, but should expect to follow Christ’s example of suffering.

Paul said of believers in Philippians 1:29 For to you it has been granted for Christ’s sake, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake, experiencing the same conflict which you saw in me, and now hear to be in me.

As a disciple and slave of Jesus Christ, it is the believer’s goal to become like Him in every way. And that includes being persecuted for living as He lived.  Philippians 3:10-11; 2 Timothy 11-12

Though the majority of the world hates Christ and will hate His followers, there is a remnant in the world who will keep Christ’s word, and will embrace the gospel message proclaimed by His followers: If they kept My word, they will keep yours also.

The world hates believers because it hates Christ and does not know the One who sent Him. vs. 21

Christians are hated by the world because, first and foremost, the world hates the one they follow, Jesus Christ. Thus Jesus says, for My name’s sake (because of Me) they will hate you and persecute you.

In the Beatitudes Jesus said, Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me.

(Matthew 5:11)

In the Olivet Discourse Jesus warned, They will deliver you up to tribulation, and will kill you, and you will be hated by all nations because of My name.

(Matthew 24:9)

Ultimately the world hates Jesus and His followers because it does not know the One who sent Him (and have no desire to know Him).

Why? Because the mind set on the flesh is hostile toward God (Romans 8:7).

The natural man of this world does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him and he cannot understand them (1 Corinthians 2:14).

James warns professing believers that friendship with the world is hostility toward God and that whoever makes the world its friend makes himself an enemy of God. (James 4:4)

John warns professing believers not to love the world or the things in the world, for if anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. (1 John 2:15)

Does the world love you or do you love this world? If so, you are an enemy of God and God’s love is not in you.