Jump Start # 3425

1 John 3:13 “Do not be surprised, brethren, if the world hates you.”

On Tuesdays, I’ve been teaching a special class on 1 John. I teach it twice a day. Once in the morning and again in the evening. Some who work can’t come in the morning, so the class is offered a second time for them.

In our walk through John’s first letter, we came across this passage. Two words particularly stand out. First, surprised. Don’t be surprised. I think of an eight-year-old who hides behind a door and spooks the life out of you when you walk by. You are surprised. There are surprise birthday parties. I’ve had more than one in my life and I’m not a huge fan of those. The main reason is that everyone knows what is going on and what is going to happen except me.

Peter used this same word when he wrote, “Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal among you, which comes upon you for your testing, as though some strange thing were happening to you.” Don’t be surprised.

The second word from our verse today is “hate.” The world hates you. Jesus said this often. They will hate you because they hate Me. They will hate the light because they love darkness. If you follow Jesus, the world won’t invite you, include you, like you, or want you. The world hates you.

And, what mystifies us is that we haven’t done anything to the world. We are kind. We are generous. We are servants. We are helpful. We make the world a brighter place. If anything, you’d think the world would like having disciples around. But that’s not the way it is. The innocent, much like Abel, are hated, and killed because the world hates them.

While these thoughts are nothing new to good Bible students, the unnatural conclusions that some make are. Consider:

First, some are wanting to make the church more community friendly. They want to serve the community. The modern church had done that for decades. Ignoring what the Biblical pattern is for what the church is to do, they have fed the hungry, clothed the needy, educated children, helped with taxes, run shelters, offered fitness training and have done all that they could to make the community like them.

The preachers in these places dress as if they have just cleaned out a garage. They offer free coffee, baby sitting and have backed off the offensive words such as “sin,” “Hell,” and “judgment.” The crowds come and they laugh, feel good, and are convinced that the rough edges of doctrine have been smoothed off. The leaders have found a way to make the church and the world like each other. Maybe they will date. Maybe there will be a wedding someday.

And, what is missing are these bold statements found throughout the N.T., the world hates you. So, rather than trying to get the world to move closer to the cross, the moderns have moved the church closer to the world. No accountability, which means the same folks in a bar on Friday, laughing and having a good time, will be the same folks on Sunday in the church, laughing and having a good time. The distinctive lines between the world and Christ have become blurred. A merger has taken place. And, to accomplish this, a whole of of compromising has been done. And, it isn’t the world that is moving or changing. It’s the modern church that has shifted and that shift has been away from the cross and towards the world.

Second, there is a reason why the world hates us. It’s because of our non-compromising conviction that Jesus is the Christ. His way is the only way. We will be judged one day. What we think and what we believe matters. One cannot live like a sinner and die like a saint. Righteousness, the letter John says, is to be practiced. Practicing sin is of the devil. So, a choice has to be made. Jesus or the world. Jesus or sin. Jesus or the devil. And, those blinded and deceived only see the fun in the devil, they’ll stand right behind him.

The world isn’t moving. It’s staying with the devil. So, for the relationship between the church and the world to get better, discouraged leaders decide to move the church closer to the world. That never works and only the devil wins.

Third, some see that the mission of the church is to do just what Jesus did. The Lord fed 5,000, so the church should. In some ways that seems logical, but remember the Lord is the head and not the church. The Lord also healed people. Should the church build hospitals, clinics and have doctors on staff to care for people for free? Jesus also turned over tables of those He thought were doing wrong. Should the church be doing that as well? Do we rush into a synagogue and trash the place? Do we get whips and drive people out?

The authorization of the church must be found in what God told the church to do. Jesus never owned a home. Can disciples? Jesus was never married or had children. Can disciples? The actions of Jesus were to demonstrate that He was the Messiah and that He had all authority. The church isn’t the Messiah and the church doesn’t have all authority.

As individuals, we do serve. Passages such as Galatians 6:10, James 1:27, Matthew 25:40 show that. The mission of the church is to glorify God and prepare people for eternity. This is done through teaching God’s word.

The world hates you. That’s a reality moment. One by one, as we show the gospel to others, hearts are changed and lives are saved. Changing just to get people to like us is actually selling out. The Proverbs tells us to “buy truth and do not sell it.”

Things to remember in these times.

Roger

Jump Start # 191

1 John 3:13 “Do not be surprised, brethren, if the world hates you.”

  There is no missing the thought found in this passage! John doesn’t try to soften the reality that Christians are going upstream in a downstream world and that we are dwelling in enemy territory. John said at the start of this chapter, “the world does not know us, because it did not know Him.” Jesus had said the same thing. In that famous section of John 3:16 that begins, “For God so loved the world…”, just a few verses later, Jesus says, “…men loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil. For everyone who does evil hates the Light, and does not come to the Light…”

  Jesus said very plainly:

• “You will be hated by all because of My name…” (Mt 10:22)
• “Blessed are you when men hate you, and ostracize you, and insult you, and scorn your name as evil, for the sake of the Son of Man (Lk 6:22)
• If the world hates you, you know that it has hated Me before it hated you” (Jn 15:18)

  It shouldn’t surprise us, but it does. We have a hard time understanding why some want nothing to do with us.

First, we have done nothing to the world. We have not demanded nor forced our ways upon the world. We have not insulted them, yet the world hates us.

Second, we are being hated for what is good and right. Hatred isn’t right. It’s more tolerable toward someone who injures and puts fear in others. But hating people who want to help better the world, who in kindness seek to help their fellow man is hard to grasp. The world is better because of Christians. There is no reason to be hated, yet the world does.

Thirdly, most who are in the hating business have not honestly looked at Christianity. They simply want nothing to do with it. Even from a distance, they don’t like it. They want no one, including God, telling them what to do. Their hatred is based upon selfishness and ignorance. It doesn’t come from a serious study of the teachings. It doesn’t come after they have gone through the Bible. In most cases, something bad has happened to them, they don’t understand why, so they blame God. In their thinking, they ought to have a wonderful, fun filled life without God. The moment their fun ends, then they blame God, whom they have had nothing to do with all along. It’s like a child who says he doesn’t like green beans even before he has tried them. And like that child, some so convince themselves that the experience will be so horrifying that if they do try it, it’s just a little bit and they immediately run in the opposite direction.

  So the world hates us! That’s not life, that’s Bible! Those of us on the receiving end of this hatred must stay true to the message of Jesus. That is not a call to be rude and obnoxious, but neither is it a reason to soften what we believe in and find a middle ground. There’s not much middle ground when the other side is in the hating business. It’s an all or none proposition. Being on the receiving end of hatred is hard. Everyone likes to be liked. Everyone wants to be popular. Remember high school? That’s just the way it was. Those who weren’t liked, ate their lunch by themselves. They were always picked last when choosing up teams. Kids whispered and stared when the unpopular kids walked down the hallway. The unpopular kids always dreamed of being varsity quarterback and dating the cheerleader, but it never happened. Some were called “weird” or “nerd.” Remember hearing those labels?

  Parents of the unpopular kids encouraged them to find good friends who would like them the way they are. They told them to get good grades and make a difference. Many unpopular kids silently cried at night. It wasn’t right and it certainly wasn’t fair. I believe some who are reading this today, understand.

  This is the road that the Christian walks. It won’t be forever. Heaven is a day closer to us. John’s words were a reminder. They knew. They felt it. But still we need to be told from time to time. We are not of the world. We are going a different direction than the world. Our hope, our love, our joy is based upon things “out of this world.”

  Talk to God when the world seems to be closing in on you. Find comfort in your church family. Remind yourself that this was the road that our Lord traveled. Be strong. Keep going.

Roger