John 15:18–16:4 (ESV) — 18 “If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. 19 If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. 20 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. 21 But all these things they will do to you on account of my name, because they do not know him who sent me. 22 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. 23 Whoever hates me hates my Father also. 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. 25 But the word that is written in their Law must be fulfilled: ‘They hated me without a cause.’ 26 “But when the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, he will bear witness about me. 27 And you also will bear witness, because you have been with me from the beginning. 1 “I have said all these things to you to keep you from falling away. 2 They will put you out of the synagogues. Indeed, the hour is coming when whoever kills you will think he is offering service to God. 3 And they will do these things because they have not known the Father, nor me. 4 But I have said these things to you, that when their hour comes you may remember that I told them to you. “I did not say these things to you from the beginning, because I was with you.
• Expect the
to
you .
1 John 3:13 (ESV) — 13 Do not be surprised, brothers, that the world hates you.
2 Timothy 3:12 (ESV) — 12 Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted,
John 7:7 (ESV) — 7 The world cannot hate you, but it hates me because I testify about it that its works are evil.
2 Corinthians 2:15–16 (ESV) — 15 For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing, 16 to one a fragrance from death to death, to the other a fragrance from life to life. Who is sufficient for these things?
James 4:4 (ESV) — 4 You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.
•
to your
.
Acts 4:18–20 **(ESV) — **18 So they called them and charged them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus. 19 But Peter and John answered them, “Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you rather than to God, you must judge, 20 for we cannot but speak of what we have seen and heard.”
Questions To Grow Followers of Christ
Have you ever had some dislike you for no known reason? What were the circumstances ad how did you know they disliked you?
Jesus warned his disciples that the world would hate them, but they hated him first. How would the persecution of the disciples resemble what Jesus went through? What forms does it take today?
Are there times when the behavior of some Christians warrant being disliked? What are some examples?
One of the reasons for the warned the disciples of what they would encounter was to keep them from falling away. How do we see Christians falling away to avoid being hated by the world?
Despite the world’s hatred, Jesus communicated to His followers that they and the Spirit would testify about Jesus. Why is that important? Who can you testify to in the coming week?