I want to comment on a verse from our scripture reading. It says in Psalm 85 verse 10, it says, mercy and truth have met together, righteousness and peace have kissed. That's a very interesting description of the work of Christ. Truly, the mercy of God did not override the truth of God. The mercy of God and the truth of God did their work together in the person of Christ. God had mercy upon us and upheld His truth, His holiness, His righteousness, His great standard. He held it up. Righteousness and peace have kissed. Isn't that beautiful? The perfection that is contained in the definition of righteousness, that perfection, that is upheld by a holy God. It was at odds with us, wasn't it? We did not have peace. because of that righteous standard. But in Christ, righteousness and peace have kissed. Brother Terry, if you would have to preach just at a drop of a hat like you thought you were going to have to, I think you could go to Psalm 85 and verse 10 and preach the gospel out of Psalm 85 and verse 10. Praise God, I was just so blessed again. Well, if you would, let's go back to John, John chapter 15 as we continue in our exposition of the gospel according to John. The gospel according to John. John 15, verse 18-27. I want to read this text and then I'll have another reading here. But today I've titled this, The Believer's Relationship to the World. I want to just set the stage a little bit again that this is, remember the just a few hours from the Passion of Christ, from the Crucifixion of Christ, from His suffering. And this is the Last Supper discourse, the Olivet Discourse if you would. It is that last, those last moments, the last words of Christ with His disciples before His crucifixion and it is, so to speak, Thursday evening before His death. Now, we see in John 15 verse 18, If the world hates you, you know that it hated me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. Remember the word that I said to you? A servant 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 him who sent me. If I had not come and spoken to them, they would have no 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 have no sin. But now they have seen and also hated both me and my father. But this happened, that the word might be fulfilled which is written in their law. They hated me without a cause. But when the helper comes, whom I shall send to you from the father, the spirit of truth who proceeds from the father, he will testify of me. And you also will bear witness because you have been with me from the beginning. So last time that we were in this book, my title was Christ in you, the hope of glory. And that was from verses nine through 17. Now I want to read that text again this morning to highlight the sharp contrast between these two passages. I want you to listen to the text prior to the one that we just read. And that is in verses 9 through verse 17. As the Father loved me, I also have loved you. Abide in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love. just as I have kept my Father's commandments and abide in His love. These things I have spoken to you that my joy may remain in you and that your joy may be full. This is my commandment that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love is no one than this than to lay down one's life for his friends. You are my friends if you do whatever I command you. No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing. But I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from my Father I have made known to you. You did not choose me, but I chose you, and appointed you, that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in my name He may give you. These things I command you that you love one another. Do you see the contrast here? That you are to love one another, church. You're to love one another, brothers and sisters, because that's the only place you're going to get it. You're not going to get it in the world. The world hates you. Isn't that a strong term? Yes, it is. It's a strong term. And here we have the contrast between these two passages is love versus hate. It is fellowship and abiding in Christ versus rejection. It is obedience. In the first text, in verse, for instance, If you keep my father's commandments and abide in his love, or if you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love. That is obedience versus the sin of the other side where it speaks about you have no excuse for your sin. You have acceptance here versus condemnation. You have knowledge on the one hand versus blindness on the other. and it is a stark contrast in relationships that the child of God experiences in these two scriptures. As we looked at the last time, it was Christ in us. It was us abiding in Christ. It was Christ in us, us in Christ, and how do we do that? How do we abide in His love? By obeying. That is how we abide in His love. And in abiding in His love, these things I have spoken to you that we would have joy, that we would be excited and filled with joy in Christ. Now we come on the opposite side, we are to experience this, and it's like was mentioned here this morning, the blessing of coming together, the peace and the unity that we enjoy as a body of Christ, as members of one another, and the love that is expressed here. But when you take it out from here, when you take your gospel mandate from this place, then we see that it is an entirely different experience that you will have. You will find hate for your message. You will not only find hate for your message, but you will find hate for the one who sent you. And then on top of that, you will find hate for you, for yourself. If the world hates you, you know that it hated me before it hated you. And so the first thing we want to consider from our text is what is the world? What is the world? So this word world is very familiar in John and it's the Greek word cosmos. And interestingly, it's translated, it's translated world and it's translated adornment. And it's, I think it's used in the Peter account where it says, let not your adornment be merely outward speaking to the sisters. And it means to arrange. It's an arrangement. It's an orderly arrangement. Um, so, It's the idea, I think, of a harmonious universe as the study of cosmology is studying the universe in all of its physical attributes, in all of its even non-physical attributes, possibly, but it is It is the study of our universe. And so what is the world? This word cosmos, Matthew uses the word nine times. Sometimes when the word world is translated in the Bible, it is from a different Greek word, but Matthew uses this word cosmos nine times. Mark uses it three times. Luke uses it three times, and John uses it 77 times. Isn't that amazing? John uses it 77 times in his gospel, this word world, this word translated world. What is he referring to? What is the world? We could spend time just simply going through the Gospel of John and look at its usages to learn what he's referring to. But in John 1, in verse 10, he says this way, he was in the world speaking about Christ And the world was made through him, and the world did not know him. So right there are three things that you could very clearly speak about what is world. It is where Christ came to. It's where his mission was. He was in the world, and the world was actually created through Christ, but this entity called world did not know him. It was not in tune with him. It was not in fellowship with him. It was actually ostracized from him. And so in John 1 29, it says this way. The next day, John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world. Now we begin to see that sin, that the world is where sin is. Think about that. There's no sin in heaven. There's no sin anywhere except in the entity or environment that is called world. And so this is that sin is the possession of the world or in a sense that the world is in sin. And so it is a fallen world. Now the world, as the Bible speaks of it, it says very clearly that it was loved by God. For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whoever would believe in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. And in verse 17 of that passage in John 3, it says, for God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world. No, rather, but that the world through Him might be saved. So praise God that though the world is fallen, we have a God that is out of this world that sent his son on a mission into the world to not condemn the world, but to save the world because the world had fallen away from this God who had made it, you see, and was estranged from God because of its disloyalty to God. So this is, this world is a, in a sense it speaks about the spiritual and the physical and the terrestrial and the celestial. It is encompassing all of these, it's encompassing all of this, it is the world. So it's not to condemn the world, and in our text it says that we are not of the world. Now that's an amazing statement, but where did we come from then? Well, we were born into the world, right? But see, who we belong to is no longer the world. We are in the world, but we're not of the world. We're chosen out of the world. And so Colossians 1.13 says it this way, when it refers to, and it contrasts, Colossians 1.13 contrasts these two entities, the kingdom of light and the kingdom of his dear son with the power of darkness. Where he says, he has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the son of his love. So here the world is described as being the place or it's described as the power of darkness, that we are called out of this place of darkness that is not only dark but it has power over us. It is this place of sin, it is this place of fallenness and we're in this place of darkness And we are by the grace, by the mercy of Christ, we are called out of this place of darkness. But in order to rob the strong man, someone must come in that's stronger than him. and bind a strong man and then we're delivered out of this place of the power of darkness. And so the world is in darkness and it has this power of darkness over it. And as we think about what this world is and that it refers to in our text. If the world hates you, what are we referring to and what is, how should we relate to that? Well, biblically, the term cosmos is where the opposition to God is found. It is every high thing that exalts itself against God. It's every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God. And in James 4.4, as we think about this idea of world, we have a very exclusive passage in James 4.4 where it says this way, Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. And see, what is an adulterer? What is an adulteress? Is it not someone that's playing two sides? It's somebody who has multiple relationships that they're trying to cultivate at the same time? James tells us it is an impossibility for you to cultivate the friendship of the world and maintain a blessed state of fellowship with God. It's an impossibility. These two are mutually exclusive. The relationship with God excludes the world, the friendship of the world. The friendship of the world excludes the relationship of God. It is like flipping a coin and you're getting both heads and tails. It's impossible. You can't have both heads and tails on the same flip. It lands on one side or the other. And so it is, they're mutually exclusive. This idea of us having this cozy relationship with the world and staying in fellowship with God. Actually, he says, if you do that, if you cultivate a relation with the world, you are at odds with God. at enmity with God, you are enemies of God. And so also we have this same concept in 1 John 2, 15. 1 John 2, 15, do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, and here we have it, the same principle, the love of the Father is not in him. You can't love the world and love the Father both. For all that is in the world, and now we begin to see what is in the world, the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, those things are not from the Father, but they are from the world. It is not of the Father, but it is of the world. And the world is passing away, and the lust of it, but he who does the will of God abides forever. If you take this in 1 John, in the Epistle of John, same author, it's interesting how you see kind of the same language, the same emphasis. If the world hates you, you know that it hated me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love its own. The world would love its own. And see, that is what we see in this idea of the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life. It is that the world is preoccupied with itself. It is enamored with its own power, with its own prestige, with its own agenda. It loves itself and its own. It supports its own. And so that's why Christ is saying, if you were of the world, the world would embrace you. It would support you. It would include you. It's the idea of a kingdom divided against itself, cannot stand. You see, if the world would somehow fight against itself, it would fail. It's that concept. And so we see that in the world, or the things of the world, the love of the Father is not in it. Now, this world has a ruler. And if you go back to our text, you will see that in John 14 and in verse 30, he says, I will no longer talk much with you. For the ruler of this world is coming and he has nothing in me. That's an interesting description that Christ is referring to someone else. He says I will no longer talk much with you for the ruler of this world is coming and he has nothing in me. I believe what Christ is saying is that Well, let me continue. But that the world may know that I love the Father, and as the Father gave me commandments, so I do. Arise, let us go from here. Let's understand verse 13 from verse 31, verse 30 from verse 31. The ruler of this world is coming, and he is endeavoring to destroy Christ. But he has no legitimate claim on the person of Jesus Christ, because there is no imperfection that he can point to. There's no sin that the ruler of this world can lay on the charge of Christ. But that the world may know where Jesus' loyalty is, where my loyalty is, that the world may know that I love the Father. You see, what he is saying here is that the ruler of this world is coming, but there is nothing that he can lay on me that will stick because my loyalty is obedience to my Father. You see that? My loyalty is obedience to my Father. Again, in 1 John 5, verses 18 and 19, as we think about the ruler of this world, we know that whoever is born of God does not sin, but he who has been born of God keeps himself, and the wicked one does not touch him. Okay, now that's an amazing passage. That there are those where it's a little bit like what Jesus is saying in John 12, John 14. He has nothing in me. You see, the one who is born of God has the Spirit of God within him and the enemy of his soul, he cannot lay anything to his charge that will condemn him. But he who's been born of God keeps himself and the wicked one does not touch him. We know that we are of God. And the whole world lies under the sway of the wicked one. And so the world is the place where Satan exercises his dominion. It's where Satan exercises his dominion. He energizes the opposition to Christ. He is the one who is endeavoring to undermine the influence of Christ in his church on this earth. That is the work of the enemy. But interestingly, he is ultimately defeated. And I don't know that he even knows that. He may though because he speaks in another place knowing that he is a little time, but John 12 31 for instance says this way as we think about the ruler of this world and Jesus says, in John 31, now is the judgment of this world. And just a little before that, in verse 27 of John 12, he said this, now my soul is troubled, and what shall I say? Father, save me from this hour, but for this purpose I came to this hour. Father, glorify your name. Then this voice comes from heaven and says, I have both glorified it and will glorify it again. And the people said, well, it thundered. Some others said an angel spoke to him. Jesus answered and said, This voice did not come because of me, but for your sake. Now is the judgment of this world. Now the ruler of this world will be cast out. Now, now, in John 31, John 12, 31, two times this word now. Now is the judgment of this world. Now the ruler of this world will be cast out. And I believe he's referring to the hour of his suffering, that it is in this very hour that Christ is troubled and that what he is about to experience and going to the cross for your sin and for my sin, A reference to that hour, I believe, that he says the judgment of this world and the ruler of this world be cast out. Satan is about to be defeated on the cross of Calvary just a few hours from this time. Satan is about to be defeated. Praise the Lord, the cross marked the defeat of Satan as it paid for the penalty of our disloyalty to God. Satan was defeated at the cross because it reconciled us back to God. And it was that thing, that guilt, that separated us from God, you see. And that Satan could always play on that thing. He said, well, they sinned against you. And he could accuse individuals with this and have a legitimate claim. But after the cross, after what Christ accomplished in the hour of His travail, now is the judgment of this world, now the ruler of this world will be cast out. And you see, as children of God, this ruler of this world has been disarmed. Do you believe that? Disarming principalities and powers, Colossians 1 says. I'm sorry, Colossians 2, 14 and 15. You can look it up. I won't turn to that. But Colossians 2, it says clearly that He has disarmed these principalities and powers and made a public spectacle of them. This disarming of this ruler of this world has major implications for us in that we can now go, we can now go forth and not fear because he's been disarmed. Now does he still, can he still affect us? In a very physical sense he can. But these spiritual implications are taken care of. You see, that is what's so important for us anyway, right? We know this earthly life, this body, it's doomed. But my undying soul is cared for by the work of Christ on the cross, and now we can go into the spiritual fight, the spiritual warfare, and we do not have to be afraid of this enemy, this hate that is coming our way. If the world hates you, you know that it hated me first. It hated me before it hated you. So with that bit of background for the teaching of what is world, what is the world, and the conflict between, you see, really ultimately what it is is that The ruler of this world and the sovereign Lord of the universe are at odds with each other. They are in battle together. It's a spiritual warfare. And it's played out on the lives of God's people. It's played out also in the lives of unbelievers. But we are at the forefront of this spiritual battle that is going on between Sovereign God, and the ruler of this world called Satan. Now I want to ask you, we want to get back to our text. Why does the world hate the followers of Christ? Why does the world hate them? Well, number one, as I already mentioned, because it hated Christ first. John says in John First John 3.13, he says, marvel not brethren, if the world hates you. There are a lot of scriptures that indicate this truth, that the world will hate you, that it will speak evil of you, and that it will be at odds with us as the followers of Christ. It says, as we think about why does the world hate the followers of Christ? Verse 20 says, remember the word that I said to you in John 15, a servant 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. So it is, As what verse 20 is teaching, whatever your attitude is toward Christ, that's the attitude you will have toward his children or vice versa. Whatever the attitude is toward God's children, it is also that toward Christ. It is, it is, impractical, illogical for us to think that if we're following Christ that we will not receive some of the things that happen to Christ, or that the animosity that is toward Christ will not come toward us as well. We are not above being persecuted. And if someone persecutes you, it is because of their hatred toward the one you represent. If they hear you, if they keep your word, likewise. What does he say? What does John say? I think in the epistle of John. He who is of God hears us. You see that? It's the same concept that if you love God, then you will hear us, you will be with us. It's this, if they kept my word, they will keep yours also. Remember the word I said to you, Jesus said, in John 16 here, just down the passage, these things I've spoken to you that you should not be made to stumble. We're not naive, we're not unprepared because Christ gave us full disclosure that if you are willing to follow me, if you are trusting in me, I'm going to lead you in this certain direction and it will create this animosity in your life and in those around you if you're really following me. They will actually They will put you out of the synagogues. Yes, the time is coming that whoever kills you will think he offers God service. And these things they will do to you because they have not known the Father nor me. But these things I have told you that when the time comes, you may remember that I told you of them. I prepared you for this time of suffering. I called you to these things. I gave you full disclosure. You are called to count the costs and see whether you want to follow Christ or not. And these things I did not say to you at the beginning because I was with you. So Christ, why does the world hate the followers? Because it hated Christ first. Number two, why does the world hate the followers of Christ? Because you are not of the world. because you are not a part of it. You are chosen out of the world. You're chosen out of the world. You are in a different place. You're in a different class. You are out of the world. You're out from it. You are no longer a part of that. You know, it was interesting. The world wants affirmation and agreement. They do, don't they? The world wants affirmation and agreement. Why do you think that is? Because what they have does not satisfy or assure them. It does not satisfy or assure them in any means. And so they want you to be their affirmation. They want you to be their agreement. They want you to come alongside and say, well, you're great. But when you refuse to do that, that creates this separation and distinction that arouses this animosity. Because you're not a part of them. You're not taking part with them. And they think it's strange that you do not run with them in the same degree of dissipation. And I had to think of 2 Corinthians 2 where it speaks this way, where he says, Now thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and through us diffuses the fragrance of His knowledge in every place, that when you are out and about, and as you speak forth the glories of Christ, you're giving a fragrance giving a fragrance of His knowledge in every place. For we are to God," now get this, we are to God, the fragrance of Christ. Isn't that an interesting thing? The beloved son of God, when you are laboring, when you are giving testimony, when you're bearing witness of Christ, you're sharing the knowledge of him, you are a fragrance to God. But down here, among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing. There are two camps here. Those are being saved and those who are perishing to the one. And here's the point I want to leave with you. To the one, we are the aroma of death leading to death. To the other, the aroma of life leading to life. And who is sufficient for these things? Indeed, because to one camp, what you're sharing is got the smell of death to it. But to the other camp, it is the fragrance of life. And this is that animosity or that hatred. It's that separation that is between us and the world. And it's that exclusive nature, you see, of Christ that really provokes the world. because they are always interested in earning their own way to Christ, earning their own way to God. And when Christ says there's no way to come to God except by him, see there is the hatred. And so this choosing out of the believer from the world indicates the condemnation of the world. In order to be saved, you must be chosen out of the world. Well, that in and of itself condemns the world, you see. And so that is what they feel. That is what they understand, is that the world is at that place of condemnation. Notice what he says then as we move on. Number three, why does the world hate the followers of Christ? In verse 21, it says, but all these things they will do to you for my name's sake, because they do not know him who sent me. They hate the followers of Christ because the followers of Christ are living for his name's sake. They hate Christ and his agenda, and they must take it out on the followers of Christ. You know, when Christ was walking on this earth, they could take it out of him personally. And in just a few short hours, they will literally hate him so much that they are willing to have Christ crucified and a murderer set free. This is the irrational extent of their hatred. He who raised people from the dead and healed the people and blessed the people and showed them the way of life. They traded that one. They traded him for Barabbas who had literally taken a life and had murdered. It's an amazing it's an amazing contrast. And so they hate the world hates the followers of Christ for His name's sake, because they cannot get to Him now. Remember we sang this morning, on the throne, on the throne. And so the only way the world can get at Christ is to persecute His followers. And we are here For that, we're here to be as sheep among wolves, yet we are victorious in Christ. Christ is not present. The world vents its hatred on those who bear his name. Number four, why does the world hate the followers of Christ? Because Christ revealed their sin. because Christ revealed their sin. Verses 22 and 24. Notice, if I had not come and spoken to them, they would have no sin, but now they have no excuse for this sin. And then in verse 24, if I had not done among them the works which no one else did, they would have no sin, but now they have seen and also hated both me and my father. You see, the words and the works of Christ are here used as, notice in verse 22, if I had not spoken to them, and then in verse 24, if I had not shown them the works that I did among them, they would not have this guilt upon them. They seen these, they heard the preaching of Christ, they seen the works of Christ, And they were on full display and still they rejected his person. I want to look back at John 9 just briefly here. And this is following this amazing account of the man who was healed, the man born blind. Remember how it just stirred up these Pharisees about, you know, they persecuted this man. The man, I mean, the Lord had just sovereignly been gracious to this man, and now the people were angry at the man. And so in verse 38, the Lord, in verse 37, the Lord invites him to believe in him. Then he said, Lord, he said, actually it's in verse 35. He says, Jesus heard that they cast him out. And when he had found him, he said to him, do you believe in the son of God? He answered and said, who is he Lord, that I may believe in him. Jesus said to him, you've both seen him and it is he who is talking with you. Then he said, Lord, I believe, and he worshiped him. And now notice what he says. And Jesus said, for judgment, I have come into this world that those who do not see may see. OK. That was this born blind man, this man born blind. He did not see. that those who do not see may see, and that those who see may be made blind. And what that simply means, and let's continue. Then some of the Pharisees who were with him heard these words and said to him, Are we blind also? And Jesus said to them, If you were blind, you would have no sin. But now you say, We see, therefore your sin remains. What we see here, and it's the principle of I think Matthew 6, 22 and 23 where it says, if your eye is full of light then your body is doing well, right? But if you're blind and you can't see, then he makes this comment in verse 23 of Matthew 6 and it says, The light that is in you is actually darkness. Or if it be darkness, how great then is that darkness? You see, there are people engaged in endeavoring to follow and come to Christ and come to God, but they're not doing it from the scripture. They're not doing it from God's way. They have a plan like the Jews did. They have a light, but it's not the true light. And if it's not the true light, how great then is their darkness? Because what they are living by is actually guiding them over the cliff into an eternal hell. Isn't that amazing? The thing that they think is going to help them, the thing that is going to, and they're ultimately self-deceived. And if the light that is in you be darkness, how great, how vast, how hard it is for you to see, because you have first got to come to the place where you recognize that I can't see. And this is the point Jesus said, if you then if you would have said, I am blind, then your sin would have been removed. But because you say, I can see, I have a path, I have a way to God, your sin remains. And what are you saying, I think, in John 15, where they said you would have had no sin in comparison to what their sinful In comparison to their sin burden before, to sin against the light of God's Word, Jesus' Word and His works, there's just no comparison. They had now sinned against the light, you see. That is how I think I would understand verses 22 and 24. If I had not done among them the works which no one else did, there's no one had ever done these amazing things that Christ did, yet they seen these and still rejected him. That's the amazing thing here is that the hardness of their heart. They were determined not to see. They were determined not to give Christ the honor and the glory that He deserved. They hated Him. And it didn't matter if He spoke to them or if He did miracles in front of them, they still hated Him. They rejected him. And to go against the light. This is the principle where he says, woe unto you, what is it? Cities of Capernaum or Judea. If the miracles would have been done in you or in Sodom and Gomorrah as was done in Capernaum, they would still be standing. And in the day of judgment, it's going to be more severe for those who have had the light and went away and went against it than for those who did not have the light. And that's the principle here, I believe. And then notice another point here I want to bring in here, and that is one cannot love the father and hate the son. You know, there are those who think that they're drawing near to God, but it's not according to knowledge, and I referred to this earlier. One cannot love the Father and hate the Son. These are mutually exclusive also. To love the Father is to love the Son. To hate the Son is to hate the Father as well. Twice in our text, Jesus makes this statement, to hate Him is to hate the Father who sent Him. Yet there are people who in the name of the Father are persecuting the followers of the Son. Isn't that amazing? That literally happened to me. It's not out there somewhere. It literally happens to the followers of Christ. When they follow Christ, the people, their primary obstacle is religion. Dead religion will fight you every time. Just as Ishmael and Isaac bickered, as Ishmael tormented Isaac, it says in Galatians, so is the man who is spiritual is being pestered by the man of flesh. It's because the spiritual condemns the physical, you see, or the fleshly. Because it says you can't come here. You've got to come through Christ. There's no way you can work yourself here, you see. And so when you say that you love the Father and are persecuting the followers of Jesus, then you are hating the Father. The Jews thought that they were serving God, but were actually hating God. That's amazing. It's an amazing truth that religion that does not accept the Son hates the Father. And to deny in a practical way the sacrifice and work of Christ in word or practice is to stand in opposition to the Father. Indeed, that is why Paul is so forceful in Galatians 1, where he says, if anyone corrupts the gospel of Christ or brings another gospel, which is not another gospel, let him be accursed. Because if we do not come to God through the Son, we reject the Son. It doesn't matter how much you think you're serving God, you're actually hating God. because you can't love God and hate the son. They're mutually exclusive. And then lastly, they hated him for no reason. Notice what he says here. But this happened that the word might be fulfilled, which is written in their law. They hated me without a cause. This hatred of the world is an irrational hatred. It doesn't make sense why they're so angry, why they hate the Son of Man so much. Well, they hated Him for no cause in Him. Okay. There was nothing that He had done wrong to them. He had not hurt them in any way. Actually, He had He gave, and He gave, and He healed, and He revealed. He spoke truth and broke tradition. But He didn't hurt them in any way, you see. Yet they hated Him. And it simply says in Psalm 69, verse 4, that they were enemies wrongfully. They were enemies wrongfully. I should just read that for you. It says in verse 4 of Psalm 69, Those who hated me without a cause are more than the hairs of my head. They are mighty who would destroy me, being my enemies wrongfully. Though I have stolen nothing, I still must restore it. See, it's the idea that Christ did not give them a reason. In all of His life and all of His preaching, The cause of their hatred was not something he did wrong. He was perfect. They hated him because the enemy was inside of them. They hated him because the ruler of this world was energizing their opposition. And he was using it, he was using this concept of, well, if you believe him, then your traditions are gonna go to put. You see, I'm not gonna be in control anymore if I follow Christ, you see. And the enemy was using that to energize his opposition because the enemy was inside of them. And their moral depravity was agreeing with the enemy, you see. He had this connection to them. But at the cross of Christ, that was broken for us, you see. Praise God, we have a defeated enemy. And then lastly, in closing, notice the last two verses. But when the Helper comes, whom I shall send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, He will testify of me. And you also will bear witness because you have been with me from the beginning. Listen, it doesn't matter that the world hates the followers of Christ. God has said, I will make sure that there will be a testimony. There will be a testimony and someone bearing witness to the glories of Christ until the end of time. And He gave us the Holy Spirit to help us with that. He has given us the Comforter, this Helper who is indwelling us, sent from the Father, the Spirit of Truth. He will testify of Christ and you also will. Notice that, that's what he says. You also will bear witness because you have been with me from the beginning. We have this, this helper who comes alongside this Pericles, who comes alongside to give aid and comfort in, in light of the hostility that we face. We have this indwelling God with us to comfort us, to give us aid. so that we can bear witness to the Son. This is a glorious truth here that we're not out here on our own, brothers and sisters. We have God within us to help us in light of the opposition that we're going to experience, that we are experiencing. The world hates you. It simply hates you, but you have a God inside of you that will help you to bear witness of the truth to them. And so truly here's we think about us as a church. Truly the church is not at rest. It is at war. There's opposition all around us. Is this happening in your life? Evaluate your life. Is there opposition? I would I would ask you if there's not opposition. What does that mean? Do you follow my thought? If there's not opposition, what does that mean? That means you're on the wrong side. That means you've, you're not, you're not, you're not following. So Jesus simply says persecution is par for the course. Let's not muzzle ourselves by fear but testify to the truth knowing that Christ went before us. As a good leader Christ leads from the front. He doesn't send us where he wouldn't go himself. Praise God for that. I was blessed with this passage and let's come before the Lord in prayer. Father, as we close this time of looking at your word, Father, I pray that you would go up and down the roads here today and apply these truths to our hearts that we might ask ourselves these questions. Am I engaged in meaningful spiritual battle. Father, we pray that you would bless your word to us. You would convict us and you would guide us and you would be glorified in our lives. Go with us through this coming week. Give us grace. Give us strength in Christ to do your bidding that we might obey you in all things. And through the name of Christ we pray, amen.