Jesus knew that after He left the disciples to return to heaven, they would face some difficult opposition from the world. Maybe, because He had just told them that they would do even “greater works” than He did (John 14:12), they were envisioning receptive crowds and smooth sailing ahead.

But the reality was, they would face some severe persecution, not just from the pagan world, but also from the religious crowd. The Lord wanted them to know what to expect from the world and how to respond to the hostility that they would experience.

His message is: While the world hates believers, we should testify to the world of the truth about Jesus Christ.

These verses present a sober, even grim, picture, except for what has gone on before: Because we enjoy Christ’s love and joy (John 15:1-11) and because we are members of the loving family of God (John 15:12-17), we can endure the hostility of the world.

But we need to be prepared for it so that we’re not shocked when it happens. Our text falls into two sections: The world’s hatred of Christians (John 15:18-25); and our responsibility to the hostile world, namely, to bear witness of Christ (John 15:26-27).

1. The world hates believers because it hates Jesus Christ: John 15:18-25 (ESV)

A. Hatred or love for Jesus Christ is what either divides or unites people.

Note the contrast between verses 17 & 18: These things I command you, so that you will love one another. ¹⁸  “If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you.

Christians are to be known for their love, but the world is known for its hatred. Jesus emphasizes “world,” using it six times in verses 18 & 19. The world refers to the organized system under Satan’s domain that is opposed to God and His rightful King, Jesus Christ.

In 1 John 5:19, the apostle draws the contrast: “We know that we are of God, and that the whole world lies in the power of the evil one.”

Of course, if you were to go out and ask people on the street, “Do you hate Jesus Christ?” most would answer, “No, I don’t have anything against Jesus. He was a great moral teacher.”

If you asked, “Do you follow the devil” they would strongly exclaim, “There’s no way that I follow the devil! I’m not a Satan-worshiper!”

They don’t follow Jesus, but they aren’t openly opposed to Him, either. And they aren’t aware that they’re following the devil, even though they are.

They subscribe to godless values. They ignore God in their daily lives, unless they get into a crisis where they suddenly decide to pray. But the average unbeliever isn’t going to say, “I hate Jesus and I hate Christians!” He’s just living his life as he sees fit and is content to let religious people follow Jesus if they want to.

The Lord wants us to know that behind the world’s hatred for us is its hatred for Him. And, as He adds (John 15:23), “He who hates Me hates My Father also.”

But, you may wonder, why does Jesus say that the world hates both Him and the Father, as well as all believers, when most unbelievers would say that they don’t have anything against Jesus or against Christians?

In Matthew 12:30, Jesus draws a similar line: “He who is not with Me is against Me.” He paints the contrast in black and white to draw a distinct line to show that you must take sides. There is no gray zone. Either you love Jesus and His Father and all who follow Jesus, or you hate them all, whether you admit it or not!

B. The world hates because Jesus exposes its sin.

John 15:22 (ESV) If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not have been guilty of sin, but now they have no excuse for their sin. (vs. 24) If I had not done among them the works that no one else did, they would not be guilty of sin, but now they have seen and hated both me and my Father.

What does Jesus mean? Obviously He doesn’t mean that those who have never heard of Him or His miracles are sinless. The Bible is clear that all people, even those who have never heard of Jesus, are guilty sinners before God:

• All people have evidence that there is a Creator by looking at His creation, but they “suppress the truth in unrighteousness … so that they are without excuse” (Rom. 1:18-20).
• All people have violated their consciences, doing what they instinctively know is wrong (Rom. 2).
• And so, all have sinned and thus are guilty before God (Rom. 3:23).

Rather, Jesus means that His coming and the many miracles that He did increased people’s responsibility and guilt when they did not submit to Him as Savior and Lord.

In Matthew 11:20-24, Jesus denounced the cities where He had done most of His miracles because they did not repent. He made it clear that it will be more tolerable even for the pagans in Tyre and Sidon and for wicked Sodom on judgment day than for these cities. In other words, increased light rejected means increased sin and guilt.

Note that unbelief is not due to a lack of solid evidence. These people heard Jesus’ words and they saw His many miracles that no one else had done (John 15:22, 24), but they still rejected Him because He exposed their sin.

It’s still true today: there is more than enough evidence to believe in Jesus Christ, but people reject that evidence or bring up other excuses for their unbelief because they enjoy their sin and they don’t want to repent.

Two applications: First, if you live in obedience to Jesus Christ, you will threaten unbelievers in your family, at school, or at work, because your godly life will expose their sin. As a result, they will try to get you to sin so that you’re just like they are; or they will attack you falsely. Be ready for the onslaught!

C. If the world thinks that you’re wonderful, you may need to question whether you’re being a bold enough witness for Christ.

Let me make it clear: You should not be the source of offense by being insensitive, rude, or obnoxious. We need to conduct ourselves with wisdom, grace, and sensitivity toward unbelievers (Col. 4:5-6).

But here’s where you will catch flak: Unbelievers will be tolerant until you tell them that Jesus is the only way to God. Then they will accuse you of being intolerant.

They will be friendly until you make it clear that God has absolute moral standards and that our culture’s standards are wrong. Then they will accuse you of being self-righteous and judgmental.

They will be tolerant of your Christianity until you refuse to lie to cover their wrongdoing or cheat in favor of the company. At that point, they will turn against you and go behind your back to turn others against you.

But if you state or imply to unbelievers that all good people will go to heaven, you laugh at their dirty jokes, you go to the same filthy movies that they go to so that you can be in the know with all the office chatter, and you lie for the boss, the world will think you’re wonderful; but you’ve compromised your witness for Christ.

Matthew 5:11-12: “Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great; for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”

D. The world’s hatred for Christ and for believers does not thwart God’s sovereignty, but rather fulfills it.

Jesus says regarding the world’s hatred of both Him and His Father (John 15:25), “But they have done this to fulfill the word that is written in their Law, ‘They hated Me without a cause.’”

He is citing Psalm 69:4 to show that unbelievers can rage against God, but they don’t have any basis for their hatred and they’re inadvertently fulfilling God’s word.

The application is that when unbelievers seem to win, don’t fret. God is still in control and He will ultimately judge all unbelievers who wrong you and He will vindicate His people who have been persecuted for His name’s sake.

E. The world hates believers because we’re different than they are. We’re different in many ways, but there are three in the text:

1) We have a different calling: Christ chose us out of this evil world.

John 15:19: “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.”

God decided before the creation that mankind would eventually need a Savior, so He predetermined the plan to send Jesus Christ to earth, to eventually die on a cross, to provide a way ‘back’ from sin to God.

Ephesians 1:3-23 (ESV) ³  Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, ⁴  even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love ⁵  he predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, ⁶  to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved. ⁷  In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, ⁸  which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight ⁹  making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ ¹⁰  as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth.

2) We have a different Master: Jesus is our Lord, while the world serves Satan.

John 15:20 (ESV) Remember the word that I said to you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they kept my word, they will also keep yours.

Jesus implies that we are His slaves and He is our Master. But Satan is the ruler or god of this world:

John 12:31 (ESV) Now is the judgment of this world; now will the ruler of this world be cast out.

John 14:30 (ESV) I will no longer talk much with you, for the ruler of this world is coming. He has no claim on me…

…who has blinded the eyes of unbelievers so that they cannot see the light of the gospel (2 Cor. 4:4). Before God rescued us, we all lived in Satan’s domain of darkness (Col. 1:13), but now we live in Christ’s kingdom of light.

This means that the world does not understand our thinking or our behavior. The world thinks that people are basically good, whereas the Bible says that all are sinners in rebellion against God.

People in the world live for themselves and their own agendas, whereas the Lord’s people live for Him and His purposes.

The world makes up its own relative moral standards, whereas God’s people obey His moral absolutes. So misunderstanding and hostility from the world are inevitable.

3) We have different knowledge: We know the Father, but the world does not. John 15:21: “But all these things they will do to you for My name’s sake, because they do not know the One who sent Me.”

The fundamental problem of people in the world is that they do not know the living and true God. Instead, they make up their own gods.

Even atheists worship their own intellect as supreme, refusing to acknowledge that all that they have comes from God (1 Cor. 4:7) and that they will give an account to Him when they die (Heb. 9:27).

But knowing God is the essence of the eternal life that Christ gives to all who believe in Him. As He prayed (John 17:3), “This is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.”

But in spite of the world’s hatred, we should never respond with retaliation or hatred. There may be times to ask God to judge the wicked. There are times to shake the dust off your feet and move on (Matt. 10:14). There are times to be silent rather than to cast your pearls before swine (Matt. 7:6; Luke 23:9). But our normal response should be:

2. In spite of the world’s hatred, we should testify to the world of the truth about Jesus Christ (John 15:26-27).

How can we bear witness in the face of such a hostile world? Jesus shows that we can do so only through the Spirit of truth.

A. The Spirit of truth testifies about Jesus Christ.

John 15:26: “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….”

Jesus was referring to the mission of the Holy Spirit, whom He calls the Spirit of truth. But we can know that the Holy Spirit is a person. A mere “force” cannot testify to the truth.

And, the fact that the Spirit proceeds from the Father and is sent by Jesus, who Himself was sent by the Father, implies the deity and the distinctiveness of all three persons of the trinity.

But the point here is that the Spirit will continue the witness to Christ after He returned to heaven. How does He do that? He does it through the Word of God, which He inspired, but also through believers.

Peter testified (Acts 5:32), “And we are witnesses of these things; and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey Him.”

B. Christ’s disciples testify about Him.

John 15:27: “… and you will testify also, because you have been with Me from the beginning.”

This refers in the first place to the apostolic witness, because they were with Jesus from the beginning of His ministry until He ascended into heaven. They testified about what they had seen and heard (Acts 4:20). They didn’t make up cleverly devised tales, but were eyewitnesses of Christ’s majesty (2 Pet. 1:16).

We have their factual testimony in the New Testament. So our witness is not just true for those who choose to believe it. It’s always true whether people believe it or not.

Conclusion

First, some of us (like me!) need to have more contact with the world. If we’re always surrounded by Christians, ask the Lord for opportunities to rub shoulders with people who need the Savior. You can’t testify to the truth about Christ if you don’t have contact with the world.

Second, pray for alertness to opportunities and boldness when you speak. I often think about what I could have said about an hour after the opportunity has passed. And, most of us do not err on the side of being too bold. None other than the apostle Paul said (Eph. 6:19-20), “Pray on my behalf, that utterance may be given to me in the opening of my mouth, to make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains; that in proclaiming it I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.”

Third, expect from the world what Jesus received from the world: mostly hatred, but some fruit. He says (John 15:20), “If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you; if they kept My word, they will keep yours also.”

If you expect everyone to respond favorably, you’ll be discouraged when they don’t.

But if you expect everyone to respond negatively, you won’t even try to bear witness. Jesus promises that some will believe through your witness:

Acts 18:10 (ESV) for I am with you, and no one will attack you to harm you, for I have many in this city who are my people.”

So keep proclaiming the good news!