John 15   Sermon Series

Wheelersburg Baptist Church 2/10/02 Brad Brandt

John 15:23-27 "Bearing Fruit in Enemy Territory" ^**

We are living in enemy territory. The world hates Christians. It's been that way since the world rejected Christ Himself.

Fox's Book of Martyrs documents the tragic accounts of the world's brutal treatment of the followers of Christ in centuries gone by. And in more recent years, the hostility of the former communist societies towards Christians is well attested. Georgi Vins spent eight years in Soviet prisons and labor camps for preaching the gospel. He was stripped of his Soviet citizenship and exiled to the USA in 1979. Andrei Yudintsev was just 18 when police arrested him at a Christian youth meeting in 1982. He spent the next 3 1/2 years in Soviet prisons and labor camps. Valentina Saveleva was arrested in 1982 while transporting Christian literature. For her "crime" she was sentenced to five years in prison. Vladimir Rytikov was just 20 when he, together with his father (Pavel) and another Christian, were arrested. Their crime? Teaching children's Bible classes. Vladimir Okhotin, at 42 years of age, was given a 2 1/2 year prison term in 1984. The reason? Because he served as the music director of his church.

The world is hostile towards Christianity. And of course, what happened in the former Soviet Union is merely representative of what continues to happen around the globe to this day.

You’re probably well aware of the increasing antagonism towards Bible-believing, evangelical, fundamental Christians, even in our land. According to estimates, there are 200,000 Christian martyrs every year. That averages out to over 500 every day. Or to put it another way, somewhere on the planet a follower of Christ loses his life every three minutes.

Yes, we are living in enemy territory. But that's nothing new, is it? When Peter wrote his first epistle he began with these words, "Peter an apostle of Jesus Christ. To God’s elect, strangers in the world, scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia and Bithynia."

The Bible calls Christians "strangers" [KJV ‘sojourners’]. To the world, we are strange. We don't fit in. We're peculiar. We're offensive. We are hated.

Paul put it this way. "We are fools for Christ's sake (1 Cor 4:10)." "Up to this moment we have become the scum of the earth, the refuse of the world (1 Cor 4:12-13)."

A typical scenario is what happened to Paul in Acts 22. A Jewish mob turned on him for his commitment to preach Christ to all people. He tried to defend himself. Do you remember how they responded? Acts 22:22—" The crowd listened to Paul until he said this. Then they raised their voices and shouted, "Rid the earth of him! He’s not fit to live!"

Indeed, we are living in enemy territory. Now answer this. Is it possible to be fruitful as a Christian while living in this hostile environment? If so, how? Furthermore, what is our responsibility while we occupy foreign turf?

Jesus answers these questions for us in John 15. In John 15:23-27, Jesus teaches us three important truths we need to know if we’re going to bear fruit while living in enemy territory.

We’re about to conclude our study of The Fruitful Life in John 15. I would remind you to keep something in mind as we approach the final section. When Jesus spoke the words recorded in John 14-16, He had one chief aim in mind. With His death and His departure from the world being imminent, He wanted to prepare His followers for His absence. How should they live when He was gone? He gave them an illustration to answer that question. He told them, "I am the Vine. You are the branches. If you remain in Me, you will bear much fruit." He also spoke candidly to them about the environment in which they would be "planted." He told them they would be bearing fruit in enemy territory. Which brings us to truth #1…

Last week, we asked the question why? Why does the world oppose Christians? Why do they hate us? Jesus gave us four reasons in verses 18-22.

1. We are opposed because of our involvement with one another (17). "Love one another," He told us. But our love exposes the world’s self-centeredness. And that irritates them.

2. We are opposed because of our identification with Christ (18-20). The reason the world hates us is because it hated Him—and we are His.

3. We are opposed because of our intimacy with God (21). "They do not know the One who sent Me," Jesus said. But because of His grace, we do.

4. We are opposed because of our integrity (22). Jesus said, "They have no excuse for their sin." Our integrity reminds them that there is a divine, moral standard—and they’ve missed it. So it’s either conform to the standard, or get rid of the reminder.

It boils down to this. The reason the world hates Christians is because the world hated Christ.

But that doesn’t make sense. Jesus came to rescue mankind. Why did the world hate Him? Jesus Himself reveals the reasons in verses 23-25, two reasons in fact which we'll consider this week.

Here’s why the world hated Christ, and consequently hates Christians…

1. The world's opposition is based on ignorance (23-24). "He who hates me hates my Father as well."

That’s interesting. There's a connection between the world's hatred of Christians, of Christ, and of the Father. Jesus said clearly the reason the world hated Him was because it hated God the Father.

I must remind you who Jesus had in mind by the "world." The world refers to society, a society which is apart from God and in opposition to God. It’s a society which is in the stranglehold of the Evil one.

In reality, there are two groups of people on planet earth. There's the Church, and there's the world. The Church is comprised of individuals who have confessed that Jesus Christ is Lord. Conversely, the world is made up of people who refuse to bow to Christ. The world rejects Christ. The world hates Christ.

But don't get the idea that there is only one kind of "world." There is only one truth, but error comes in all shapes and sizes. As D.A. Carson suggests, "The world wears many ugly faces." Nazism was anti-God. So is Communism. But so is raw-secularism, and greedy materialism. So are the special interest groups that promote alternate, immoral lifestyles. They are all anti-God, anti-Bible, and anti-Christ.

Here's the irony. As individual groups, Nazis and communists and materialists may hate each other. But they have one thing in common. Together, they hate biblical Christianity, and try to snuff it out. And so Hitler killed Bonhoeffer, and Stalin executed countless believers.

But again, why? What did Jesus say is the real problem of the person who hates Him? It is ignorance. Verse 21—"They will treat you this way because of my name, for they do not know the One who sent me." If the people in Jesus’ day had really known God, they would have loved Jesus. But they didn't know God. That's why they hated Jesus.

Their problem was not a lack of evidence. Notice verse 24, "If I had not done among them what no one else did, they would not be guilty of sin. But now they have seen these miracles, and yet they have hated both me and my Father."

Jesus' works were unique. He did what no other man had ever done. His works actually upset some people, especially the hypocritical religious leaders.

Take John 9 as a case in point. Jesus healed a man born blind. The Pharisees couldn't deny the evidence. But they refused to put their trust in Jesus. Instead, His miracle only fanned the flame of their hatred for Him.

Even more graphic is what Jesus did for Lazarus (John 11). Lazarus had been dead four days. His body was already anointed, wrapped, and placed in a tomb. Yet Jesus called him back to life! What a miracle! How did people respond? Some believed in Jesus (11:45). But others determined to eliminate Him (see 11:46-48).

Why? Why did Jesus' works offend people? You would think that everyone would have applauded at His miracles. They didn't. Why not? Jesus' works revealed that Jesus was unique.

You see, a person is who different threatens the establishment. He breaks the curve on the grading scale. He exposes. He intimidates.

Jesus made people feel uncomfortable. Of Jesus they said, "Never a man did this!" His holy presence and righteous deeds exposed their sinfulness. When He entered the room, He was like a spotlight that revealed every sin-stained spot in their lives.

True, He offered forgiveness. But some chose to reject Him rather than admit their need for Him, blinded by their ignorance.

You see, human beings are supposed to know God. After all, we were created in His image (Gen 1:27). He reveals Himself to us through His creation, so that we are without excuse for not knowing Him (Rom 1:20). He gave us the Scriptures. He sent His Son. We ought to know God.

And the average person on the street thinks he knows God. Just ask him or her.

Yet Jesus' claim is clear. The only way to have a relationship with the Father is through Him (John 14:6). If you don't know Jesus, you don't know God.

The world hates Christians because it is ignorant of who Jesus is. How true this is in our day! If you ask the guy at work who hassles you for being a Christian, "Who was Jesus?" What answer would you get? "Jesus was a nice guy that did a lot of good for people. He taught about peace and love, but was misunderstood, and unfortunately got killed."

When someone views Jesus merely as a person who never raised His voice, who never spoke a critical word, who was a moral reformer that did a lot of good, there’s a person has an inadequate view of Jesus. The fact is, Jesus offended the religious establishment, intentionally. Jesus exposed sin and hypocrisy, intentionally. Jesus condemned injustice, intentionally. Jesus claimed to be the only way to God, intentionally. That's why He was hated. Ignorance. Here’s another reason…

2. The world's opposition is irrational (25). Let me ask you, "Did the world's hatred of Jesus catch God off guard?" No, it didn’t. In fact, listen to what Jesus said in verse 25, "But this is to fulfill what is written in their Law: ‘They hated me without reason.’"

Notice the words "their Law." That was a poke. Jesus is saying, "Those who hate Me pride themselves in knowing their Law. But if they really knew their Law, they'd know Me. For their Law speaks of Me."

Jesus seems to be quoting from a phrase in Psalm 35:19 and Psalm 69:4. The latter reads, " Those who hate me without reason outnumber the hairs of my head; many are my enemies without cause, those who seek to destroy me." Psalm 69 is actually Messianic psalm.

It's amazing. The world hated Jesus for WITHOUT A CAUSE. They had no just reason to hate Jesus.

That's the second thing about the world's opposition. It's irrational. It doesn't make sense. To hate Jesus is illogical.

Hatred is irrational, even humanly speaking. Why would two people who were once crazy about each other, made a vow before God and have spent ten married years together, get to the point where they hate each other, where they're willing to call it quits, even though that means they will inflict great pain on their kids, their friends, and even themselves? Hatred is often irrational.

But the most irrational hatred of all is to hate Jesus.

You say, "That’s something I don’t do. I don't hate Jesus." Let me ask you something. Who hates Jesus? It’s not just the atheist who shakes his fist at God. So do religious people (that’s who Jesus had in mind when he said this).

To hate someone means I don't give him his rightful place or treatment in my life. If you are prejudice, and hate a person because he has a different color of skin, then you won't give him his rightful place or treatment.

When we refuse to give Jesus the place He deserves in our lives, when we choose to live as though He had never come, we reveal that we don't love Him. Just the opposite, that we hate Him. And nothing is more irrational than to hate Jesus.

We're living in enemy territory. We've seen why by considering six reasons. That brings us to another question--How? How can we stand in this hostile environment?

"When the Counselor comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father, he will testify about me."

Right here we discover a couple of important realities which give us tremendous hope as we live in this hostile world.

A. Jesus didn’t leave us to fend for ourselves. To the contrary…

B. Jesus provided a Helper. Or to put it another way, Jesus didn't leave His followers in this hateful world without help. He gave them a resource—the Holy Spirit.

The Lord had already introduced the subject of the coming ministry of the Spirit in chapter 14 (verses 16-17, 26). And He will develop this theme further in chapter 16. But here in chapter 15, He likewise refers to the Spirit in the context of the hostility of the world.

We see the trinity here. Verses 18-22 speak of the world's attitude towards God the Son, verses 23-25 speak of God the Father, and verse 26 speaks of God the Holy Spirit.

As Jesus' followers, we are living on enemy territory. But we are not on our own. We have a resource, the Holy Spirit. What does Jesus tell us about the Holy Spirit in verse 26? We learn five characteristics of the Spirit from Jesus’ words…

1. He is the Counselor. Jesus calls Him the paraklatos, the "one called alongside to help." The Holy Spirit is the resident helper.

You say, "I'm weak. I don't think I can stand against the world." None of us can, not on our own. But we don't have to. We have the Spirit of Christ. He's the One Who comforts, counsels, and guides us.

2. He is the representative of Christ. Please notice that the Holy Spirit was sent by the Son. "When the Counselor comes, whom I will send to you from the Father."

Everything that Jesus was to the twelve disciples, the Spirit is to us, only more so. Jesus taught. So does the Spirit. Jesus rebuked. So does the Spirit. Jesus encouraged. So does the Spirit. The Spirit is the resident representative of Christ in our lives.

How does He carry out His ministry with us? Jesus explains in the next phrase. He calls Him "the Spirit of truth." That indicates…

3. He is the source of truth. The Holy Spirit is truth. What’s more, according to John 16:13-14, He is the giver of truth: "But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you [Jesus is speaking to the apostles] into all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. ¹⁴ He will bring glory to me by taking from what is mine and making it known to you."

And that’s what the Spirit did. He came at Pentecost. Later He revealed truth to the apostles who in proclaimed it to others. Eventually, this truth was recorded in the New Testament Scriptures. Today we have the Bible because the Spirit is the source of truth.

4. He is the contact to the Father. Jesus said about the Spirit, "Who goes out from the Father." The Holy Spirit has come from the Father. He enables us to have access to the Father (Rom 8:26).

The next point is critical. What did Jesus say would be the primary aim of the Spirit? Verse 26 concludes, "He will testify about me." To put it another way…

5. He is the communicator of Christ. The reason the Holy Spirit came to this world at Pentecost wasn’t to bring attention to Himself. It was to make Christ known. More about that in a moment. First an important question…

Is it really possible to bear fruit while living in enemy territory? Yes it is, as long as what? As long as we heed the main thrust of John 15, as long as we remain in the vine.

In his book, Secrets of the Vine, Bruce Wilkinson shares about a personal discover that underscores the power of abiding in Christ:

"One day, in a library, I happened upon a lithograph of a legendary vineyard set on a rocky hillside high above Germany’s Rhine River. The illustration shows vines that had been producing bountiful harvests for generations. An insert depicted one of the vines. It came out of the ground thick as an elephant’s trunk. All along the row, enormous clusters of grapes hung down through the light canopy of leaves.

"For years people wondered how these vines could flourish in such an inhospitable environment. An accompanying text explained: ‘The roots of the ancient plants have been traced to the distant river.’"

Wilkinson concludes, "That ancient vineyard reminds me that I can always be ‘present’ with God, no matter what is whirling around me. God invites us to be tapped into His purposes and power all the time."

Beloved, we have a resource. Let that sink in. Hostility is inevitable. Opposition is unavoidable. If we're going to live for Christ, we'll feel the hatred of the world. But we can endure, as long as we rely on the right resource.

The next statement is critical. Jesus didn't give us His Spirit to help us accomplish our agenda. It's His agenda that the Spirit wants to energize us to accomplish. And just what is that agenda? Jesus tells us in verse 27. It’s the third important truth we need to grasp if we’re going to experience fruitful lives while living in enemy territory. First, Jesus gave us reasons. Second, He gave us a resource. Thirdly, He told us that…

"And you also must testify, for you have been with me from the beginning."

Please notice that the verb "testify" [KJV, ‘bear witness’] in verse 27 is the same word Jesus just used in verse 26. That's significant. What Jesus said the Spirit would do is the very thing He told His disciples they would do. He who is the communicator of Christ enables Christ’s followers to do the same.

But how does He do it? How does the Holy Spirit testify of Jesus in this hateful world? Does He write Bible verses in the clouds, like jet streams? Does He make images of Jesus appear for people to see on the wall? How does the Spirit testify of Jesus?

He does it through people. The Spirit bears witness of Jesus Christ through followers of Christ. That's critical to see.

Yes, we live in enemy territory. But our aim is not merely to hold on, to endure.

A. Our mission isn’t merely a defensive one. It's offensive, too. Just what is our offensive assignment? Verse 27—"And you also must testify."

B. Our mission is to tell the world about Jesus. Actually, verse 27 is another version of the Great Commission. Jesus has given us a task to do. We have a high calling.

But why us? Listen to the reason He gave the eleven (27). "You must testify…for you have been with me from the beginning."

Privilege involves responsibility. To whom much is given much is required. The twelve disciples had the privilege of being with Jesus for three years, of hearing Him teach, of watching His miracles, of eating the bread He created out of five loaves. They were privileged. They knew Jesus.

But they weren't to hoard that privilege. They were to pass it on. So are we.

I must warn you. It may cost you. The Greek word "testify" [or "bear witness"] is the word martureo. We get our English word "martyr" from it. See the connection? When we bear witness to Jesus in a hostile word, we'll have to pay a price. Tertullian said, "The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church."

You say, "But Jesus gave this instruction to the apostles. We're not apostles."

True, but the responsibility to witness belongs to every one of us who knows Christ. To become a Christian what must a person do, according to Romans 10:9? "That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved."

The Christian life begins with verbal activity, with the use of the mouth. And it continues the same way.

Romans 10:14-15 asks, "How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? ¹⁵ And how can they preach unless they are sent?"

And that’s what happened to us. We have been sent. The Savior gave us a mission that began with the apostles and will continue until God has rescued a people from every nation, tribe, and language. Jesus said in Acts 1:8, "But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."

Oh friend, please listen. If Jesus left us in this world for no other reason than to endure the scorn and hatred of the world, we would be most miserable. But when He left us, He gave us a high privilege, along with a Helper to aid us.

We are here to tell others about Him! Our #1 responsibility in this life is to testify to Christ, to point people to Christ.

When was the last time you shared Christ with another person? Do you know what one of the devil's most effective war tactics is? It’s to distract us. He loves to sidetrack us, to get us preoccupied with other things, even good things. Like jobs, and school, and even family time. While all the while, the mission collects dust on the back shelf of our lives.

Brothers and sisters, we have a responsibility. If we know the truth about Christ, we must do something with what we know. "You also must testify," He said. That’s why we’re here.

As a third-century man was anticipating death, he penned these last words to a friend: "It's a bad world, an incredibly bad world. But I have discovered in the midst of it a quiet and holy people who have learned a great secret. They have found a joy which is a thousand times better than any pleasure of our sinful life. They are despised and persecuted, but they care not. They are masters of their souls. They have overcome the world. These people are the Christians--and I am one of them."

1. We are living in enemy territory. The environment is hostile and barren, but…

2. We have all we need to experience the fruitful life. Let us never forget the reasons, the resource, and the responsibility Jesus has given us. "If a man remains in me and I in him, he will [that’s a promise] bear much fruit."

John 15   Sermon Series