The Danger of Being Liked
&
The Reality of Being Hated
John 15:18-16:4
John 15
A disciples relationship with Jesus
-a vine and the branches
-life giving; fruitful; growing and giving
A disciples relationship with other disciples
-agape love one another
-commitment; sacrifice; loyalty
A disciples relationship with the world
-they will hate you and despise you.
John 15:18-20
“If the world hates you, you know that it has
hated Me before it hated you. If you were
of the world, the world would love its own;
but because you are not of the world, but I
chose you out of the world, because of this
the world hates you.
“Remember the word that I said to you, ‘A
slave is not greater than his master.’ If they
persecuted Me, they will also persecute you;
if they kept My word, they will keep yours
also.”
So, why all this hatred?
“But all these things they will do to you for My
name’s sake, because they do not know the
One who sent Me. If I had not come and
spoken to them, they would not have sin, but
now they have no excuse for their sin, He who
hates Me hates My Father also. If I had not
done among them the works which no one else
did, they would not have sin; but now they
have both seen and hated Me and My Father
as well. But they have done this to fulfill the
word that is written in their Law, ‘THEY HATED ME
WITHOUT A CAUSE.’
“But all these things they will do to you for My
name’s sake, because they do not know the
One who sent Me. If I had not come and
spoken to them, they would not have sin, but
now they have no excuse for their sin. He who
hates Me hates My Father also. If I had not
done among them the works which no one else
did, they would not have sin; but now they
have both seen and hated Me and My Father
as well. But they have done this to fulfill the
word that is written in their Law, ‘THEY HATED ME
WITHOUT A CAUSE.’
How should we respond to
hatred from the world?
1) We begin to hate the world
2) We hide from the world
3) We strive to be loved by the world.
Loss of a strong identity of Christ has created a culture of
Christian men who are more at ease chasing cool and being
liked. We want to be admired and respected but not really
known. Sexual conquest, physical attractiveness,
recognition, and status have landed many of God’s men in a
stupor of self-importance and spiritual insignificance.
It’s a subtle game, but a game nonetheless…they are hitting
off the crack pipe of being liked, which is too intoxicating to
give up. Being liked is a charade, an act, and a fraud. It’s a
shadow of what a real God’s man is supposed to be.
The only outcome of a life devoted to the
shadow is a life controlled and dominated by sin
because there is no honesty in that life. Because
where there is no honesty, there is sickness of
character which is expressed in sick conduct and
sin. And we wonder why we fail in our
relationships with God and people.
In the end, neither buys our act.
Mark 12:14-17
Then they sent some of the Pharisees and
Herodians to Him in order to trap Him in a
statement. They came and said to Him,
“Teacher, we know that You are truthful and
defer to no one; for You are not partial to any,
but teach the way of God in truth. Is it lawful to
pay a poll-tax to Caesar, or not? Shall we pay
or shall we not pay?” But He knowing their
hypocrisy, said to them, “Why are you testing
Me? Bring Me a denarius to look at.” They
brought one.
And He said to them, “Whose likeness (eikon) and
inscription is this?” And they said to Him, “Caesar’s.” And
Jesus said to them, “Render to Caesar the things that are
Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” And
they were amazed at Him.
“For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to
become conformed to the image (eikon) of His Son”
Romans 8:29
“..and have put on the new self who is being renewed to
a true knowledge according to the image (eikon) of the
One who created him.”
Colossians 3:10
It’s time to kiss the middle
ground good bye!
“When the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from
the Father, that is the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from
the Father, He will testify about Me, and you will testify
also, because you have been with Me from the
beginning.
These things I have spoken to you so that you may be
kept form stumbling. They will make you outcasts from
the synagogue, but an hour is coming for everyone
who kills you to think that he is offering service to God.
These things they will do because they have not known
the Father or Me.
But these things I have spoken to you, so
that when their hour comes, you may
remember that I told you of them. These
things I did not say to you at the beginning,
because I was with you.”