John 15:18-25 January 20, 2002

"If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. If 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. Remember 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. They will treat you this way because of my name, for they do not know the One who sent me. If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not be guilty of sin. Now, however, they have no excuse for their sin. He who hates me hates my Father as well. If 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. But this is to fulfill what is written in their Law: `They hated me without reason.'

"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. And you also must testify, for you have been with me from the beginning.
CCI: To be a servant is to follow in the Master's footsteps.

Intro: This chapter in John is a favorite with preachers. However, the passage we read this morning apparently is not one of the favorites. As I studied and researched for this morning, I found there very few sermons on this part of John 15. People enjoy preaching on verses 1-17, but 18-27 is another story. Jesus promise that the World will hate us, is not very popular. But today, I want us to look at this passage anyway, for I believe that whether popular or not, there is a message and a word of encouragement for us here.

I. You are mine

First, we find that Jesus declares that we are his. "If you belonged to the world, they would love you, but as it is, you do not belong to the world, I have chosen you out of the world." You see, this passage is written to Christians. The believers to whom John was writing were facing terrible persecution. Some had been executed, others tortured, many others were imprisoned or forced to leave their jobs. They had become the outcasts of the world.

Have you ever felt like you did not belong? The story is told of a group of men who had been in prison for 25 years. They had shared the same cell block throughout their sentence. One day a new prisoner was introduced to the cell block. As his first day went by, he became very confused. The man in the cell on his right simply called out "35!" and everyone started laughing hysterically. A few minutes later another man called out "17" and once again the place broke up with laughter. After several more of these episodes, the new guy asked his cellmate what was going on? The cell mate replied, "We have been here so long, we have memorized the jokebook and to save time, whenever we want to tell a story, we simply call out the page it is on." The new guy thought that sounded pretty simple, so when the group began telling jokes again, he decided to join in. When there was a break in the action he called out, "77!" And all the laughter went dead. He tried again, "77!" And still nothing. So he asked his cell mate what happened. The guy replied, buddy, some people can tell a joke, some can't."

That is what it like to not belong. You are physically present, but not a part. We have all had the experience. Whether it is a child who is not accepted by the popular crowd or new person in a neighborhood who knows no one, or a wife who has lost her connection with her husband. To be alone, to be outside and outcast is difficult, and so Jesus warns us that we are different.

"I have called you out of the world." Those words set the stage for a difficult existence. "If the world hates you, remember it hated me first." Why did the world hate Jesus? Jesus said that it was because he was different. It is true that as a child he grew in wisdom and stature and in favor with God and man, but as soon as he started his ministry, the favor he had with other people began to fade. When Jesus went back to his hometown, the people rejected him. In fact, in Mark, Jesus is thrown out of the synagogue. Why? According to this passage, it is because in him, they saw and discovered their sin. Jesus' life so contrasted with the lives of the people around him, that their own sin became evident to them. As a result they hated him.

Have you ever had that experience? Someone has pointed out to you something that is wrong in your life, how do you respond? Often we respond with anger. And that is what happened with Jesus. His life revealed sin in other's lives. They could no longer ignore their disobedience to God.

But the reality is, what Jesus offered was a blessing! He was showing them the way to life! But all they could see was guilt and anger.

The same is true for us. If we follow Jesus, we will not be loved by the world. Our lives and the truth we stand for will be such a contrast to the standards of the world, that we too will be hated. Perhaps that is why we often remain silent on issues that to which the Scriptures speak clearly.

This week I read an editorial from the Baptist Center on Ethics asking why the church has remained silent on the deceit and lying and greed that has characterized the Enron bankruptcy. Are we afraid to speak? If we were to speak from the ethics of Jesus, we would be despised. And perhaps, that is what Jesus is calling us to.

II. Follow in my Footsteps

If they hated the master, they will hate his servants. And who was it who hated the master? It was leaders and those in control. It was the teachers and the scholars.

In Germany in 1937, the church was asked to stand with the German people in reestablishing their rightful place in the world. Much of the national church was willingly coopted by the Nazi's. One notable exception was a German teacher who was working in a Seminary in the United States. He had the opportunity to remain in the states and to speak out against the evil in his homeland from a distance. However, as he followed Jesus, he returned. Soon he was arrested for not pledging his allegiance to the party. He resolutely stood for what was right and just. The result was Dietrich Bonhoeffer was executed minutes before the prison camp where he was being held was liberated by the Allies.

Bonhoeffer chose to follow Jesus to the very end.

Throughout church history some have misunderstood this passage to say that Christians should seek out the hatred of the world. In the second and third centuries martyrdom was highly valued and many went out of their way to be martyred. In some branches of Islam today, dying for the faith, and taking the enemy with you is a blessed event.

Maybe you have known people who have paraded their faith in such a way that it seemed they were trying to make their friends angry. A friend of mine often spoke of suffering for the faith because when he quoted scripture in the wharehouse, his co-workers would laugh at him. That is not what Jesus meant. Rather it is like my friend's father who was fired from his mechanic's job frequently because he would not report book time on his repairs. He was not making a point of his suffering, he was simply living by his convictions.

To walk in the footsteps of Jesus means there will be many times that the world and even the church will be angry with you. When Dr. King led the protests in Selma, the leaders of the churches condemned him. When Dr Campolo went to the White House to meet and counsel with President Clinton, several speaking engagements were canceled. When Dr. C. Everett Koop reached out to minister to AIDS patients, the Evangelical Christian community dismissed him completely.

Jesus said, "Follow in my footsteps and you will suffer. But. . .

III. You are not Alone"

That is the good news. The promise is that when the Counselor comes, he will testify to Jesus and make it possible for us to testify as well. We are not alone. The message of justice we are called to proclaim will not be popular, but we do not proclaim it alone. The message of righteousness we are called to proclaim will not be popular, but we are not called to proclaim it alone. The call to repentance is not an easy one, but we are not calling alone. The Holy Spirit of God, the Breath of God, is walking with us as we walk in the footsteps of Jesus.

There will be storms. But we are not alone. Do you feel today like you have been tossed about like a cork on a wave? You have sought to follow Jesus, but roadblocks keep popping up? Take courage, continue to follow. Jesus has promised he will never leave us or forsake us and he will send the Holy Spirit to guide us.

Jesus is calling us to be people who make a difference in this world. We are change agents and as such the road is difficult. When Jesus calls us to follow him, it is not to a comfortable or easy life. Rather it is to a life of risk taking and change. If you want to make a difference in your world, a difference that will outlive you and last for eternity, then Jesus wants you to come and follow him. He promises us it will not be easy, but it will be worth it. Today is the day to begin a new existence. Decide today that you will follow Jesus wherever he leads and your life will take a new direction. Now is the time, don't wait.