John 15.18-27 - Persecution for Christ

In John 15:18-27, Jesus surprises us with words, not of comfort, but of the reality of how the world reacted to him, and how it will react to us.

Paul counted it a privilege of being “in Christ” (of knowing and trusting Jesus) that he should also suffer with him (Philippians 1:29).

This isn’t what we’re expecting, because we like the positive promises of being “in Christ” but don’t really want to have to do any hard work.

We looked at three thoughts from the passage
1. what it means to be “in Christ”
2. what it means to be “in the world”
3. whether we are in or out

1. what it means to be “in Christ”

Hated (v18), to have no home - chosen out of the world (v19), persecution (v20), rejection (v21).

However, is it just the case that Jesus was creating a paranoid community, fearing hatred at every turn?  No.  The reaction to Jesus was mixed (c.f. John 9:16) as he was both loved and hated.  So the reaction will be to his followers, also, who won’t respond with hatred but with love. What does it mean for us if we don’t experience hatred, does it mean that we don’t live a true witness to Jesus?  If we beat ourselves up over this, we might well end up trying to live an overly harsh witness in the hope of being hated! However, we must realise that the church is hated, though we may not face hatred first hand.  When Christian brothers and sisters overseas face hatred, we stand with them and can say that we are hated because we are one body.  But that leaves us with the challenge that we must stand with them, pray for them, be in contact with them, support them financially if we can.

2. what it means to be “in the world”

Loved (v19), belonging (v19).

We might sum this up by saying that we are accepted and comfortable, happy going along with everyone else.  This was Isaiah’s great concern for himself when, according to Isaiah 6, he saw Jesus on the throne.  He said “Woe to me, I am a man of unclean lips and I live among a people of unclean lips”.  He was no different to anyone else. The place we Christians come to be cleansed of our unclean lips is the cross.  But we must live out of the power of the cross, never thinking we can press on in life in our own strength. The cross is the place where Jesus was hated so that we can be loved by the Father.
Peter and Judas faced the same dilemma, denying Jesus in favour of being loved by the world.  For Peter, it was acceptance that he struggled with, for Judas it was the love of money.  What was the difference between them? Judas never returned to Christ while Peter did.  We know we end up denying Christ on occasion, but failure needs to drive us back to him, not away from him.

3. are we in or out?

Freedom
v20 describes us a “servants” to our “master”.  The world would look on and say we are captive to a false master, but the Bible encourages us to see this as true freedom.

So, do we see ourselves as free, or as captives?

Verse 22 and 24 might seem to suggest to us that we are free if we haven’t heard the gospel!  But that’s not what Jesus was saying – he did not need to condemn the world for it was condemned already (John 3:18). Rather, these verse reveal our deepest sin, rejection of the Father and the Son.

Real freedom is found in Jesus himself and in sharing the gospel – are we free?

The Holy Spirit
We may say we are full of the Spirit, but v26-27 tell us that the Spirit testifies to Jesus – he draws us to Jesus and draws people around us to Jesus.  To not testify is to hold the Spirit back!  When we give the Spirit his freedom, he gives remarkable power to testify even in the face of hatred and persecution.

“Fear makes the wolf look bigger”
Fear holds us back from speaking in the face of hatred and persecution, but in Philippians 1:27-28, Paul tells us not to be afraid.  Suffering for Christ, according to John 15 is to be expected, so it is not unexpected and something to fear!  The early church rejoiced after suffering for Christ (Acts 5:41).

The Future
Jesus is speaking to the disciples in John 15, but it has implications for us because the disciples will stand firm and pass on the message.  In John 17, Jesus prays for the disciples, but he also prays for us that we would come into being and pass on the message.

Are we in, or out?!

Questions:

(1) From John 15:18-27, what are some of the things that will accompany (a) being in the world and (b) being in Christ?

(2) Given the context (the last words Jesus gives to his disciples before death etc), why do you think Jesus says what he says? Why was it important for the disciples (and us) to hear these words?

(3) What do you love about the privilege of being in Christ? Why does the privilege of suffering for him surprise us? Why don’t we want to suffer for Christ?

(4) What reasons do we have for turning down opportunities to give a reason for the hope within? What must we do to overcome this situation in our lives?

(5) What effect do we fear hatred will have on us as people? What effect should hatred have on the church, according to the Bible (think of some New Testament passages)?

(6) Which of the four challenges about being “in or out” hits you the hardest? Do you think of yourself as free in Christ, or as wearing a straitjacket? Are we giving the Holy Spirit freedom in our lives and expecting Him to give us power to speak? How can we overcome fear? Are you happy to be part of the future of the church?