“Farewell: Living for Jesus in a hostile world”
Please read John 15: 18 – 16:4, and then pray; Gracious, faithful God, as I open your living Word and listen to its saving message, equip me to live and to serve you with courage and faithfulness in this fallen world, to the glory, honour, and praise of your mighty Name. Amen.
Recently, I have been sharing with you some of the most important points Jesus made to his disciples in his farewell discourse just before his arrest, suffering and death on the cross. At the very end of this time of teaching and admonition Jesus states this:
I have told you these things, so that IN ME you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world. (John 16:33)
This is the final point Jesus makes to his disciples before “he looks up to heaven” (17:1) to pray for himself, and for them, and for all disciples who will follow in every generation between now and the end of the age. For the sake of their deep inner peace, Jesus has taught them these things;
- Love one another as priority number one. (John 13: 34-35, 15: 12-13, 17)
- Look forward to the promise of the Father’s house – eternal life with the Father and the Son. (John 14: 1-4)
- Abide in Jesus, in his word, and his love. Vine and branches. (John 15:1f)
- Be ready for the coming of the Spirit who will be alongside them and live within them after Jesus has returned to the Father. (John 14: 16-18, 25-27)
Love for another is the primary command Jesus gave his disciples. The Father’s house is the promise regarding their eternal future hope, and the gift if the Holy Spirit is the precious promise for their imminent future, a gift that will equip them for living the whole of their Christian lives in this world of trouble and strife. Jesus promises peace – peace that is different from the unreliable peace of the world. It is a peace which, to quote the apostle Paul, “transcends all understanding,” and which “will guard their hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:7) Prayer and the presence of the Spirit in their hearts will be the life-giving source of this distinct and strengthening peace. But this peace is promised by Jesus along with the promise of trouble in the world.
And it is this “trouble” which all disciples will encounter and face, that we will now consider together. Jesus never shirked from telling disciples that following him would be challenging and would include significant hardship. Earlier in his ministry, when Jesus first spoke about his own suffering and death, he made it clear that following him would involve self-denial and cross-bearing. “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for me will find it.” (Matthew 16:24-25)
This warning about the cost of faithfully following Jesus is repeated many times, and it occupied much of Jesus’s farewell speech and his prayer recorded in John 17. Jesus prays for his disciple’s empowerment, endurance, and protection. “I will remain in the world no longer, but they are still in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them by the power of your Name – the name you gave me – so that they may be one as we are one.” (John 17:11, 15)
Do you remember the beatitudes at the beginning of the Sermon on the Mount? The final beatitude is this one; Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.” (Matthew 5: 10-12)
In this final speech recorded in John’s gospel, Jesus is clear that the disciples will face hatred and persecution because they are servants of a Master who experienced these things, a Master who is about to be led away and crucified – and no servant is greater than their Master.
Jesus’s words and warning about hardship came true, didn’t they? Acts of Apostles with its remarkable story of the early history of the Church records the rapid spread and growth of the Church, but Luke is careful to detail all the persecution, opposition and hardship regularly faced by the apostles and others. Revival and persecution seem to go hand in hand. At one point in Acts, Paul stresses this reality: “We must go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God.” (Acts 14:22) When writing to encourage the faithful believers in Thessalonica who are facing persecution, Paul writes: “We sent Timothy, who is our brother and God’s fellow worker in spreading the gospel of Christ, to strengthen and encourage you in your faith, so that no one would be unsettled by these trials. You know quite well that we were destined for them. In fact, when we were with you, we kept telling you that we would be persecuted. And it turned out that way, as you well know.” (1 Thessalonians 3:2-4)
The mention of Paul’s companion Timothy in that last quotation reminds me of what Paul wrote to Timothy just before he faced his own death. Paul explained to his younger co-worker and evangelist that “everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted…” (2 Timothy 3:12). Paul is stating what Jesus stated to his disciples in his farewell speech. Persecution is guaranteed for disciples who aim to follow Christ faithfully. It is unavoidable. It is a consequence of faithfully following in the footsteps of the One who was “despised and rejected, a man of sorrows and familiar with suffering.” (Isaiah 53:3) And if you wish to avoid persecution? As the American teacher Voddie Baucham says; “It’s easy – all you have to do is compromise.” You just dilute Christianity; water it down; and hey-presto, no persecution. No problems. The world loves you as one of its own.
Allow me to say a little more about this “trouble” which Jesus speaks about and which often comes in the form of “persecution.” (John 15:20) It is important to do so because as I have pointed out, the bible is clear that all who seek to live godly lives in Christ will be persecuted. Persecution is therefore a litmus test for true and faithful discipleship. It is not that disciples look for persecution or behave in such a way as to deserve it; it is simply that by living like Jesus, for righteousness’s sake, they will at times face persecution. It is the consequence of living in a fallen world where light is rejected in favour of darkness.
My last 3-month sabbatical in 2018 enabled me to focus on the topic of modern-day Christian persecution and so I have thought about this subject a lot. We start with definitions because we must understand that there is hard persecution as well as softer forms of persecution. Persecution comes in many and various forms. In the International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, Geoffrey Bromiley defines persecution in the following way; “Persecution is the suffering or pressure, mental, moral or physical, which authorities, individuals or crowds inflict on others especially for opinions or beliefs, with a view to their subjection by recantation, silencing, or as a last resort, execution.” Ronald Boyd-MacMillan who worked for Open Doors at the time of my sabbatical, defines Christian persecution in this way; “Christian persecution is any hostility, experienced from the world, as a result of one’s identification with Christ. This can include hostile feelings, attitudes, words, and actions.”
I like this definition because it aligns nicely with the way Jesus saw persecution. In Luke 6:22 (Sermon of the Plain), Jesus states; Blessed are you when men hate you, when they exclude you and insult you and reject your name as evil, because of the Son of Man.” Here we see how Jesus speaks about persecution in terms of hatred, exclusion, insults, and rejection. In our nation at this time (it may change) Christians often face “softer” types of persecution. This is because we live in a democratic society which holds on tightly to laws embracing freedom of religion. If you are a Christian living in a Communist country (like Cuba where I have been), or in a country where there is any kind of dictatorship or religious fundamentalist form of government, then you could be in for a significantly more difficult life and existence. We should regularly thank God for the freedom of religion which we currently enjoy in the U.K. We must never take it for granted. That freedom includes, through the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948), the following;
- A right to believe your religion.
- A right to practice your religion.
- A right to spread your religion.
- A right to change your religion.
- A right to transmit your religion. (All this must be done peaceably)
Nevertheless, even in countries where there is such freedom of religion, Christians will still, if we take Jesus and the bible seriously, face opposition, hatred, and persecution – even if these prove to be the “softer” forms. This is because of what Jesus refers to as “the world.” When Jesus refers to the world in this farewell speech, he is referring much more about “a spirit” than a place. He is referring to the spirit and attitudes of the world “outside of Christ” and his kingdom, and a world system in opposition to God. He is referring to the fallen world which rejects and rebels against God and refuses to come under the Lordship of Jesus. John describes this rebellious anti-God spirit in his first letter. (Read 1 John 2: 15-17). This is a perfect description and summary of the world which sent Christ to the cross, and which Christians must live in and battle with.
The NT reveals that all disciples face a life-long battle on three fronts. The world, the flesh, and the devil. Christians are challenged to put to death the flesh or the sinful nature in them. They are challenged to be crucified to the world, this spirit and all its manifestations which would tempt the believer to fall and to go astray (John 16:1, Galatians 5:14). Christians are called to resist the devil and stand firm in their faith as they daily put on the armour of God. (1 Peter 5: 7-9, Ephesians 6: 1-10).
The apostle Paul declared: “May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.” The “world” as Jesus describes it, is not the Christians friend but our foe. It is a reality which has the potential to halt spiritual growth and kill it off altogether. The world has lots of trinkets, treats and temptations which can destroy a person’s walk with God even before it has properly begun. This is made plain by Jesus when he explains the meaning of the parable of the Sower to his disciples. (Read Mark 4:15-19) And listen to how the apostle Paul laments over the loss of one of his missionary team. His instruction to Timothy is this; Do your best to come to me quickly, for Demas, because he loved this world, has deserted me and go to Thessalonica.” (2 Timothy 4: 9-10)
The spirit of the world, with all its promises of freedom and happiness outside of Christ, with all its alluring temptations and moral compromises’ can lead to disciples abandoning the faith as was the case with Demas. As was sadly the case with many young Christians I grew up with. As has been the case with dozens of people I have seen come and go from many different Churches throughout my 30-year ministry. This is recognised in many hymns, isn’t it?
“O let me feel thee near me; the world is ever near, I see the sights that dazzle, the tempting sounds I hear; my foes are ever near me, around me and within; but, Jesus, draw thou nearer, and shield my soul from sin” J. E. Bode
If we think we are ok, that we are standing firm, we must be careful – because so many have fallen back into the ways of the world and walked away from Christ who died for them. Jesus warns the eleven disciples still with him on that fateful night. One had been led astray for 30 pieces of silver. When Jesus goes back to the Father, they will now be on the front-line. They had better be ready, and not shocked or dismayed by persecution – whatever its form.
Jesus also makes plain who/what is behind all this persecution. He refers to him in this farewell speech and elsewhere as “the prince of this world.” (John 12:31, 14;30, 16:11) This is of course – Satan, the arch enemy of God and the prime-mover and adversary of all who follow Christ. Paul refers to him in this distinctive way in Ephesians. (Read Ephesians 2: 1-2) Time and again Satan will move to undermine and destroy Christian faith, hope, and love through the power and deception of the world. But Satan has no hold or power over Jesus. Christ conclusively defeated him through his death and resurrection. He drove Him out and judged him decisively! Satan was crushed and humiliated through the cross. “And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.” (Colossians 2:15) But the battle is not over and although wounded, Satan, like a hungry and angry roaring lion looks for servants of Christ to devour. He pursues them. He pursues us. That is what the word persecution means. It means to relentlessly pursue with the aim of destroying. And so, in Revelation 12:17, the apostle John reveals: “Then the dragon was enraged at the woman and went off to make war against the rest of her offspring – those who obey God’s commandments and hold on to the testimony of Jesus.”
Why the vicious rage against the Church, this rage that is often manifested through violent and softer forms of persecution? According to John 15 and other parts of the NT, the persecution aimed at Christians is caused by their love for and strong association and relationship to Jesus. What was furiously aimed at Jesus is now aimed at those who befriend, serve, and worship him. Jesus states that the reason for persecution is that disciples now “belong to him.” They are his. We are his. Jesus has taken his disciples out of the world and they belong to him. Our primary citizenship is now in heaven not in this world which is passing away. (Philippians 3:20) We live for him and in him. Vine and branches locked together. His servants are persecuted because they are no longer of the world but in Christ. Christ does send his disciples back “into the world” so that they can be “the light of the world” and the “salt of the earth,” but they are no longer of the world in the way they once were. They have entered another kingdom and serve a different King.
Jesus is especially hated because he exposes the world’s sinfulness, fallenness and ugliness as He shines the light of His presence and righteousness upon the world’s defiant actions. He calls the world to repentance and the world digs its heels in to resist the paths of his righteousness. Because Jesus’s followers embrace this way of holiness and righteousness, they face the world’s opposition and anger. Jesus gives the verdict. This is the verdict. Light has come into the world (and what a Light!), but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. (John3: 19-20) Jesus exposes the world’s systems of evil, injustice, immorality, hypocrisy, and pride. He shines light where it is unwelcome. He is the Divine whistle-blower and judge. So, he is hated and shunned, as were all the prophets before him. And anyone who dares to embrace His light, His ways, His righteousness is likewise rejected and despised. Persecution ensues. Jesus said that the world hates him “because I testify that what it does is evil.” (John 7:7) And that evil begins with its proud and arrogant rejection of the Father and the Son.
Jesus states at the very end of his farewell speech that He has “overcome the world” so the disciples can take heart and know peace. (16:33) How do disciples overcome and face the hostility of a godless world? How do the world’s persecuted servants of Christ face hatred and opposition?
Firstly, persecution can be faced because disciples will have the person of the Holy Spirit living within and alongside them in all their difficulties, and the Spirit will grant them power to overcome and comfort, counsel and grace in all their tough trials and their temptations to compromise with the world. In his first letter, John states this: “You, dear children, and from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.” (1 John 4:4) In this farewell speech, Jesus warned of persecution, but He also promised the faithful presence of the Spirit. God dwelling in our hearts makes all the difference when trials come our way. 1 Peter 4:14 speaks of “the Spirit of glory” resting upon suffering saints.
Secondly, our deep connection to and relationship with Jesus will always be a source of deep inner strength and peace amidst opposition and rejection. We are the branches, deeply rooted in him and his love, and nothing can separate us from that eternally secure love connection. As Paul said to the Romans: (Read Romans 8: 35-39) Could anything bring more comfort, reassurance, and encouragement to a persecuted Christian than the message of Romans 8?
Thirdly, you will find many amazing prayer-promises in this farewell speech. You may ask anything in my name and I will do it. (John 15:14, 16:24, 14:13) Ask persecuted Christians around the world what they desire more than anything else – 99 times out of 100 – they will ask for prayer – for prayer moves mountains – prayer brings about miracles – prayer delivers from evil – prayer demolishes strongholds. Paul wrote about this in his second letter to the Corinthians. It was prayer and God’s Spirit that enabled Paul to survive and press on. (Read 2 Corinthians 1: 8-11) Helped by their prayers. Prayer is the greatest weapon the persecuted Church has at its disposal in the prison cells of this world.
There is fourthly, the word of God which Jesus tells his disciples must abide in them, and they must abide in His word. The word is what brings much comfort, strength, precious promises, and hope. If the persecuted Church requests prayer first, it asks for copies of the Scriptures next. They know the word is powerful and always shatters fear and despondency. They take their stand on this ROCK!
And fifthly and finally, the persecuted are blessed with the knowledge that that are not on their own. The are part of a world-wide fellowship which prioritises love for each other. Love one another as I have loved you. To know you are not on your own brings great comfort and consolation. Christians are surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses in heaven (Hebrews 12: 1-3) and a great world-wide fellowship of believers on earth, who fight the good fight together, pray together and for each other, and who boldly serve and worship the King of Kings and Lord of lords. They also believe in the presence and ministry of angels – that those who are with us are more than those who are with them. (2 Kings 6:16) Ultimately, the battle belongs to our Sovereign God, the God of Resurrection and Life, the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
(Read 1 Peter 5: 6-11)
I have told you these things that so that IN ME you may have peace. In the world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.
(Revd Peter J Clarkson 1.6.25)