The Danger of Being Liked & The Reality of Being Hated John 15:18-16:4

A disciples relationship with Jesus -a vine and the branches -life giving; fruitful; growing and giving A disciples relationship with other disciples -agape love one another -commitment; sacrifice; loyalty A disciples relationship with the world -they will hate you and despise you. John 15

“If the world hates you, you know that it has hated Me before it hated you. 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. John 15:18-20 “Remember the word that I said to you, ‘A slave is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you; if they kept My word, they will keep yours also.”

“But all these things they will do to you for My name’s sake, because they do not know the One who sent Me. If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not have sin, but now they have no excuse for their sin, He who hates Me hates My Father also. If I had not done among them the works which no one else did, they would not have sin; but now they have both seen and hated Me and My Father as well. But they have done this to fulfill the word that is written in their Law, ‘THEY HATED ME WITHOUT A CAUSE.’ So, why all this hatred?

“But all these things they will do to you for My name’s sake, because they do not know the One who sent Me. If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not have sin, but now they have no excuse for their sin. He who hates Me hates My Father also. If I had not done among them the works which no one else did, they would not have sin; but now they have both seen and hated Me and My Father as well. But they have done this to fulfill the word that is written in their Law, ‘THEY HATED ME WITHOUT A CAUSE.’

1)We begin to hate the world 2)We hide from the world 3)We strive to be loved by the world. How should we respond to hatred from the world?

Loss of a strong identity of Christ has created a culture of Christian men who are more at ease chasing cool and being liked. We want to be admired and respected but not really known. Sexual conquest, physical attractiveness, recognition, and status have landed many of God’s men in a stupor of self-importance and spiritual insignificance. It’s a subtle game, but a game nonetheless…they are hitting off the crack pipe of being liked, which is too intoxicating to give up. Being liked is a charade, an act, and a fraud. It’s a shadow of what a real God’s man is supposed to be.

The only outcome of a life devoted to the shadow is a life controlled and dominated by sin because there is no honesty in that life. Because where there is no honesty, there is sickness of character which is expressed in sick conduct and sin. And we wonder why we fail in our relationships with God and people. In the end, neither buys our act.

Then they sent some of the Pharisees and Herodians to Him in order to trap Him in a statement. They came and said to Him, “Teacher, we know that You are truthful and defer to no one; for You are not partial to any, but teach the way of God in truth. Is it lawful to pay a poll-tax to Caesar, or not? Shall we pay or shall we not pay?” But He knowing their hypocrisy, said to them, “Why are you testing Me? Bring Me a denarius to look at.” They brought one. Mark 12:14-17

And He said to them, “Whose likeness (eikon) and inscription is this?” And they said to Him, “Caesar’s.” And Jesus said to them, “Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” And they were amazed at Him. “For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image (eikon) of His Son” Romans 8:29 “..and have put on the new self who is being renewed to a true knowledge according to the image (eikon) of the One who created him.” Colossians 3:10

“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, and you will testify also, because you have been with Me from the beginning. These things I have spoken to you so that you may be kept form stumbling. They will make you outcasts from the synagogue, but an hour is coming for everyone who kills you to think that he is offering service to God. These things they will do because they have not known the Father or Me. It’s time to kiss the middle ground good bye!

But these things I have spoken to you, so that when their hour comes, you may remember that I told you of them. These things I did not say to you at the beginning, because I was with you.”