Are You Hated

“If you find the godless world is hating you, remember it got its start hating me. If you lived on the world’s terms, the world would love you as one of its own. But since I picked you to live on God’s terms and no longer on the world’s terms, the world is going to hate you.

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Then Pilate entered his headquarters again, called Jesus, and said to him, Are you the king of the Jews? Jesus answered him, Are you speaking for yourself about this? Or did others tell you this concerning me? And Pilate answered, He said, Am I a Jew? Question mark. Your own nation and the chief priests have delivered you to me. What have you done? Well Jesus answered, My kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would fight, so that I should not be delivered to the Jews. That was the book of John and chapter eighteen. Well, hello everyone, I'm Neil Parks and welcome to Fill the Lamp. We are taking our time as we move through the Gospel of John. And last time out we were in chapter fifteen and we will be there again today. So we will pick it up again as Jesus is discipling his followers as to what to expect down the road. And with that said, following Jesus is not going to be a piece of cake. So Jesus is telling them in verse twelve of chapter fifteen of John, this is my commandment, big word, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one's life for his friends. You are my friends, Jesus speaking, if you do whatever I command you. Then in verses sixteen he goes on and says 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 big word remain that whatever you ask the Father in my name he may give you. In verse seventeen, these things I command you boy that word is just popping up, isn't it? I command you that you love one another. Now my listeners, Jesus is not asking them to love one another, he is commanding them. I'm very redundant here, and he commands us as well. So now in verse eighteen of chapter fifteen, he reveals or confirms to them that they are because they follow him hated people. Let me say that again. He reveals or confirms to them that they are, because they follow him, hated people. So if you find the godless world is hating you, remember it got it start hating me, Jesus speaking. If you lived on the world's terms, the world would love you as one of its own. But since I picked you to live on God's terms and no longer on the world's terms, the world is going to, you got it, hate you. And it will in twenty twenty six as well, my listeners. Now Jesus says to the disciples, similarly in John four verses five and six is where John says of the false teachers, They are from the world, therefore they speak from the world, and the world listens to them. We are from God. Whoever knows God's listens to us. Whoever's not from God does not listen to us. You see, from these texts one can see that to be from the world is to be get this like the world, to act in a way that the world understands and approves of you. Now the kingdom of Christ is the invisible rule of Christ over all those who are spiritually transferred from darkness into that rule. Therefore, neither the means of entrance, entrance nor the present reality of this kingdom should be thought of as looking to the civil governments for advocacy or enforcement. Now I choose you out of the world, Jesus speaking, therefore the world hates you. That's John chapter fifteen verse nineteen. The world will hate you. You too will drink the bitter cup of suffering. Matthew said that in chapter twenty verse twenty three. They the world will deliver you up to tribulation and put you to death, and you will be hated by all nations for my name's sake. Matthew twenty four nine told us yet let your let not your hearts be troubled. Wow, it's hard not to be troubled, isn't it? Now my followers of Christ are exiles and act and outcasts on the earth, but are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession. Now get that, we are his. We've been bought with a price at Calvary, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of who? Of Jesus, who called you out of darkness into this marvelous light. Now once you were not a people, but now you are God's people. Once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. So beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of this flesh we live in, which wage war against our souls, yours and mine. Keep your conduct among the Gentiles, yes, honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation. You see, that's what Peter was sharing with his brothers in Peter chapter two verses nine through twelve. So look how Paul puts it in Philippians three eighteen, when he says, For many walk of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping that they are enemies of the cross. That's Paul telling us in verse nineteen, whose end is destruction? These people are enemies, and their end is in destruction, whose God is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame. Paul's letting us have it, who set their mind on earthly things. Anyone do that? And then in verse twenty Paul goes on, for our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. In verse twenty one Paul goes on, says Who will transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to his Jesus glorious body, according to the working by which he is able even to subdue all things to him self? Folks, there is no question of whether Christians are engaged in warfare in this world. It's there, and it isn't going to go away until Jesus comes. The question is, though, what are the weapons and strategies we should use in combating the anti Christian forces and in exalting Christ. Folks, get into your word, read your Bible, be armed and dangerous towards the enemy. Nevertheless, when it comes to the battles of defending and spreading the Christian faith, Paul draws a line. He says we may walk in the flesh, but we do not wage war according to the flesh. Now the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but are rather powerful by God. He arms us. So Paul appears to have in mind the spirit anointed preaching of Christian truth which would destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against get this the knowledge of God. I say, let's pray. Father God, we come humbly before you this moment in time. All we have to do, Lord, is look around and we can see what's going on all across this world in 2026. Father God, it's happening. I don't know the date that you're coming, but the signs are out there, Lord. You've told us to be ready in Matthew 24. You've told us what we need to be doing in Matthew 25. So, Father God, I'd lift up my listeners to have their awareness attitude, have their awareness of what is happening. This is going to take place and it's already in the beginning to happen. Father God, your return is imminent, but there will be tribulation. And I thank you, Lord Jesus, in your precious name. Amen. Well, my friends, it's been good to be with you again. And until next time, I'm Neil Parks, Marinatha.