They Will Hate You Too

Jn 15:18-20

In 1998 our country was shocked by a hate crime we thought was in our past. Bill King and 2 of his friends were proud of being racist. They would often sit around drinking beers and talking about what they would do if they ever got hold of a black man. June 7 turned idle talk into a horrific crime. James Byrd was walking down a country road on the way home from a convenience store when Bill and his buddy drove by him. They stopped, grabbed the man and took him to a secluded spot where they proceeded to beat him almost to death. As he lay there begging for his life, they chained him to their truck and dragged him 3 miles along a gravel road as it literally tore him to death. These disgusting men couldn’t help but brag about what they did and eventually someone turned them in to the authorities. Bill was the first to go on trial and was sentenced to death for his crime. At his sentencing he was asked if he wanted to say anything to the family of Mr. Byrd. With a smirk on his face he made a very derogatory comment to them.

Hate goes deep. It isn’t just white and black, it’s directed at all kinds of people for all kinds of reasons. Most of the time there isn’t even any logic to the hate. Christ wanted to be sure the disciples and all Christians were prepared to be hated by the world just because they were Christians. He told them that the world hated him first and would hate all those associated with him.

PRAYER

I. Why Does the World Hate Us?

A. It’s a fact

1. If you are like me, you get very frustrated at a world that seems to overlook all the great things we do for the poor and homeless only to ridicule us as homophobic.

2. We are always shocked and dismayed that the world never realizes all that Christians have done to strengthen the family. They only focus on the fact that we won’t support abortion rights for teenage girls.

3. How dare we claim that there is a higher moral standard that man should live up to. All Christians want to do is stamp their intolerance on everyone else.

4. We shake our heads in disbelief that we are viewed so badly by the world.

B. Why?

1. Why does the world want to hate us so bad?

2. What can we do to make them like us?

3. Jesus says, get used to it. They hate you because they hate me.

II. Hatred For Jesus

A. Have you realized how much Jesus was hated by the world?

1. For a man who’s greatest teaching was love one another, Jesus was sure able to tick people off.

2. The religious leaders hated him, because he took away from their popularity and self serving righteousness.

3. Even when He helped a community by casting out the demons in a possessed man, he was met with hatred.

4. they begged him to leave the area.

5. That the Bible’s nice way of telling us they told him to get out of town now!

6. The world’s hatred of Jesus ultimately lead to his crucifixion.

B. We don’t really believe that

1. You know, when you read what Jesus had to say to the disciples, it’s very easy to think that he meant only them and not us.

2. The world is much more sophisticated, less barbaric than it was then.

3. They won’t hate us, we do so many good things for our community.

4. Try telling that to the groups or individuals who do good thing but are atheists.

5. Just pay attention to politics and all the outcry to giving federal funds to faith based groups to do even more good in their communities.

6. You would think the Government was going to give the money to Osama Bin Ladin to fund terrorist attacks instead of churches or religious organizations.

C. Jesus is a polarizing figure

1. You can sort of accept him. He demands an all or nothing acceptance of him.

2. READ Matt 10:32-33

3. People don’t like the attitude of “this is the only way” in our pluralistic, all things are relevant world.

a) Thursday, in our minister’s group we were talking about some families that got upset with a couple of the ministers because they told them they had to quit living together before they could become Christians.

b) When pointed out it was Jesus who made that command, them, the couples quit going to church.

4. It’s hard as a minister to have your church rejected like that. Just for standing up for the truth.

5. That’s when Jesus whispers, “remember, they hated me first.”

III. You’re Not Like Them

A. We are different from the world

1. While reading Mr. Walling’s book, he made a comment that shook me up. “Christians and homosexuals share a common burden. Both are persecuted for being different.”

2. You know, he’s right.

3. The world is uncomfortable with those that are strikingly different from them.

a) It may be openly different lifestyle of a homosexual on one end and an openly different lifestyle of a Christian on the other end.

b) Both are persecuted for how they live by the world.

c) READ vs 19

B. Christians are called to live lives that are different than the world

1. To be honest, I would be happy living just around church folk.

2. Because of my ministry I probably come closer to that than any of the rest of you.

3. Most of the people I know and deal with on a regular basis are good Christian people.

4. You don’t have that same luxury.

a) Most days you go to work and stand out because you live differently than most of your co-workers.

b) Most days you go to school and stand out because you live differently than your fellow students.

c) Most of us don’t like to stand out, but we like the alternative even less.

d) So, with some trepidation, we go every day to be snickered at, smiled at condescendingly, knowing that people change their behavior whenever you come around.

e) And we need to remember, God told us this was going to happen.

f) We’re different

C. Christians NEED to live differently

1. As hard as it is to be different from the world, it is so very important.

2. How could we ever tell those around us the good news if they don’t see anything different in us?

3. Why would they bother to come to church on their day off if everyone there was just like the world?

4. We need to be different, so the world will ask us what makes us so different.

5. Then we can tell them about Christ and what he can do in our lives.

D. The world doesn’t understand us

1. Let’s face it, some of our beliefs are so different that the world just doesn’t get it.

2. When we start talking about salvation and higher moral stands, they just aren’t equipped to get it.

3. It’s like talking a different language to them.

4. When you don’t understand, it’s easy to turn that lack of understanding into hate.

IV.Respond As Christ Did

A. How do we respond?

1. Pray for them

a) Praying for our enemies is one of the best things we can do for our own spirituality.

b) It helps us stay focused on God’s will rather than our feelings and sometimes, through prayer, our enemies become our brothers and sisters.

2. Love them

a) God tells us to love our enemies.

b) It’s hard enough to pray for them, but to also treat them as God would treat them, becomes a real test of our faith.

c) But it is what God wants, and if there is ever a way to change them, love, not more hatred will do it.

3. Forgive them

a) Jesus on the cross is the ultimate example of this.

b) In 1060 Adolph Coors of the famous beer family was kidnapped and murdered. His son was 15 at the time and lost his father and best friend. His hatred for the man who killed his father knew no bounds. For years that hatred filled his life. Even after becoming a Christian 15 years later, he couldn’t lose the hatred for the man. It was affecting his relationship with God and he knew it. He made an effort to visit the man in prison and tell him he had forgiven him. The man refused to talk to him. At first he was just as frustrated as ever, but he really did want to be close to God and refused the hatred to overcome forgiveness. Several years later he confessed “I have a love for that man that only Jesus Christ could have put in my heart.”

c) Often forgiveness isn’t easy, but it is necessary.

d) Forgive the world as Christ forgave the world.