Turn back to John chapter 15. Hated without a cause. Hated without a cause. There
was not There never was and never has
been, never will be a cause to hate the Lord Jesus Christ. The cause is found in us. It's
sure not found in Him. The root of it is in us. Sin. Sin. Not in Him. He's holy. Everything
about Him, He's altogether, the Scripture says, He's altogether
lovely I'm not. You couldn't say that
about me. But he is. There's nothing about
the Lord Jesus Christ that is not lovely. Lovely. So let's look at these scriptures.
We'll finish out this chapter, Lord willing, today, this morning. When we were born into this world, We were born with the same depraved
nature that everyone else was born with and is born with as
time goes by. We went from the womb speaking
lies like everyone else. We were enemies in our minds
by wicked works like everyone else. However, when the Spirit
of God came in power and created in us life. When he gave us a
new birth, and that new birth is very real, and it's of God,
and it has the nature of God in it. There was a real change
made when that happened. We began to love what once We
hated him, and we began to hate what we once loved. At one time,
we were the servants of sin, slaves to Satan, but we are now
the servants of righteousness, the servants of the Lord Jesus
Christ. We are His servants. Isn't that something? Paul, you
know, he would start out most of his epistles, Paul, a servant.
before he said an apostle. He was glad to be a servant of
the Lord Jesus Christ. We are his servants. We were
once the servants of sin and Satan, but now the servants of
righteousness and of God. The enmity that was between us
and God is over. It's over. But there is now. There is now. an enmity between
us and the world. There is a real enmity between
the world and God's children, God's people. The world cannot
stand the true believers, God's people, because of their union
to the Lord Jesus Christ. He said, I am divine in this
chapter. He said, I am divine. You are the branches. And because of that union, our
Lord is telling his disciples here and all his disciples throughout
all ages that the world will hate you. That's a strong word. But it's so. The world will hate
you. They will think it strange, the
scripture says, they will think it strange that you do not run
with them to the same excess of riot. You used to. You used to. I told you this
before, but I had a friend years ago who said, I wish that you
had never been saved. Strange that you do not run with
them to the same excess of riot. I didn't go no more with them.
He went this way, I went that way. We used to go the same way. But that's the way it is. There's
a real enmity now between, not only between the serpent, the
seed, the seed of the serpent and the seed of the woman of
Christ, but also all his seed, the promised seed. And the Lord
is warning them, forewarning them and telling them and telling
us this is the way it is. We are living, so to speak, on
the enemy's turf. This world is a world of darkness. It's a world of darkness. And
we live in it. We're children of light. You're
the light of the world. But now this world as a whole is in darkness. The whole world, John said, lies
in wickedness over in 1 John. He said the whole world lies
in wickedness. So therefore, in verse 17, he says, these things
I command you. That you love one another. Now,
I said hate was probably the strongest word. I think love
can overcome that. I do believe love is stronger
than death, Scripture says. Love can overcome hate. And He
says this, things are going to come up on you. You are going
to suffer. You are going to be hated. This
is my commandment. You love one another. You stick
together. You hold together in love. What
a bond. What a bond. Nothing bonds people
together. Nothing bonds people together
like love. Nothing. And that's why he says
to them. But I also had to write this down. It's sad to think
that we have to be commanded to do this. Is that not so? To actually have to be commanded
and taught to love one another. Told to love one another. There
is still so much sin in us that we must be commanded to love
one another. Remember when Paul rebuked Peter in front of all
those, I think it was, was it at Galatians, where he was, he
was eating with the Gentiles. And when the Jews came down,
he separated himself and Paul was stood him to the face. And
Paul sternly rebuked him. Now what's going to bring them
back together? What's going to, what's going to What's going
to keep them from just splitting and not having anything to do
with each other again? Love. Paul's going to do the
right thing. He's going to withstand Peter
because there's a problem. But I tell you what, Peter, out of
love, is going to submit to Paul. And their fellowship is going
to continue. It's going to continue. But our Lord also gives this
again because He knows how much His people are going to be tried
tested, and love will need to be greatly exercised toward one
another. I've got to read you this once
again over in 1 Corinthians 13. Someone told me, this has been
some time ago, this person said to me, I don't know what love
is. I don't know what it is. This has been a year or two years
ago. He said, I don't know what it
is. Well, the Bible actually gives us a definition of what
it is. You really want to know what
love is. Here's a definition of it. Look in verse 4 of 1 Corinthians
13. Charity, that is love, and you
can put Christ's name there, but love, charity, suffers long
and is kind. This is love. Love envies not. Love vaunteth not itself. That
is, it's not rash. It's not puffed up. It doth not
behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked,
thinketh no evil, rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in
the truth, beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth
all things, endureth all things. Love never fails. But whether
there be prophecies, they shall fail. Whether there be tongues,
they shall cease. Whether there be knowledge, it'll
vanish away. We know in part, we prophesize in part. But when
that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part will
be done away. And Paul says on down through here in verse 13,
And now abides faith, hope, and love. These three, but the greatest
of these is love. That's what will hold you together.
That's what in this fight, and we're in a fight, we wrestle
not against flesh and blood, but against principalities and
powers of darkness. And he says, this is what will hold you together,
love. And that's why he tells them, commands them, that you
love one. This is the third time he's told them this. Love one
another, that's what he says. Now, if the world hates you,
you know this first. Know this first. It hated me
before it hated you. I'm the object of its hate. I'm
the object. I'm the true object of it. Now,
the world does hate you if you belong to Christ. This is so. Whoever bears the image of Christ
will be hated by the world. This is what he's telling them
and us. Here's an example. Why did Cain hate Abel? It says over there in 1 John
3.12, Cain's works were wicked and evil and Abel's were righteous. Why did Esau hate Jacob? Because
Isaac gave him the blessings. Because of the blessings. The
birthright. Why did Joseph's brother, we've
been going through Genesis, why did they hate Joseph? Because
Jacob loved Joseph. And he made it obvious. And because
of that, they hated him for it. Whoever bears the image of Christ. I tell you what, we bear that
image in our conduct. He said, you'll be hated for
it. You'll be hated for it. But know this first, the world
hated me before it hated you. The world has hated Christ since
the fall. But it really came out when he
came in the flesh. They said, come, this is the
heir, let us kill him. Oh, instead of let us kiss him,
let us receive him. Let us bow down to him. No, let
us kill him. That's the charge. Let us kill
him. The way Christ was treated in the flesh is how this world
truly thinks of Him. Now, this world doesn't hate
the Jesus that's the miracle worker, or Jesus that's the healer,
or Jesus who feeds 5,000, but they hate the one who sits on
the throne and does as He will. In the armies of heaven, among
the heavens and the earth, and none can stay His hand or say
unto Him, what are you doing? That's the one they hate. You tell men and women about
that one. Unless God does something in
them, the hatred will come out. The hatred will come out. And
when he's talking about the world here, he's not talking about
just the secular world. You know, a drunk doesn't really
care. Nothing much matters to him.
But the religious world, who hated Christ the most? It was the best people in town.
It was the law keepers. It was the ones in town that
you would have thought if anybody would make it, it'd be them.
It was the Pharisees, the Sadducees,
the lawyers, the priests of the temple. They were the ones who
hated and despised the Lord Jesus Christ. And they'll still be
the ones who will hate His people. Now if you were of the world,
the world would love his own. A rattlesnake likes its little
ones. A grizzly bear. I was watching
a program not too long ago on one of those nature channels
and there was a polar bear. It had its little cub with it. And it was wrestling around in
the snow, just playing with it like a little toy. And it just
rolled over and that little cub was just wallowing all over that
mama bear. You think I could do that? I'd be dinner. If you were of the world, the
world would love its own. If you were of the same spirit,
if you had the same interest, if you had the same interest,
it'll love you. If you are the same mind, it'll
love you. The world loves its own, but
because you are not of the world, But because of your connection
to me, because I've chosen you out of the world and you bear
my image, the world, he says, will hate you, will despise you. He said, but because you are
not of the world, but I've chosen you out of the world, therefore
the world hateth you. You notice here how election
is connected with the world's hatred of God's people. Because
I have chosen you You are hated. Election is connected with the
world's hatred of God's people. When God's sovereignty is proclaimed
in salvation, when it is proclaimed, men's hatred come out. That's
when it comes out. How do you view election? How
do I view election? I find it a doctrine of praise.
I find it a doctrine that gives God all the glory, who deserves
all the glory. I don't find it, I do not find
it unfair. Not now, not now. How many times have you heard
that? How many times have I heard that's not fair for God to choose
one and pass by another? You know anyone any wiser to
do it? I don't. The Scripture says He
shall choose our inheritance for us. You know anyone wiser
to do that than God? If He had not chosen the people,
if He had not chosen us, you who believe, if He had not chosen
us, we would never have chosen Him. We would never come to Him. We would never love Him. We would
never even look His direction. Because God is light. God is
holy. We are darkness. We love sin. God is everything I'm not. And
He's everything I, by nature, hate. Really. God is everything
this world hates. He's holy. He's righteous. He's just. He's sovereign. I tell you what, there's nothing
wrong with that. The wrong was here. It's with us. This is one
thing I have learned. If there's anything wrong, it's
on my part. It's never on his part. And because, he said, because
I have chosen you, They hate you. Here's the very core of
the controversy. Matthew Henry said this. He said,
here's the core of the controversy. Whatever is pretended, this is
the ground of the quarrel. They hate Christ's disciples
because they bear his name and they bear up his name. And they're
hated for it. It says over in 1 Peter 4.14,
if you be reproached for the name of Christ, and you will
be if you If you stand up for Christ, the gospel, the truth,
I promise you, you'll be reproached for it. You'll be reproached
for it. Now, remember the word that I
said unto you. It's always good to remember
the word, isn't it? It's where we draw wisdom from, instruction
from, comfort from. Remember the word. You can't
remember it if you don't know it. But he says, remember the
word. that I said unto you, the servant
is not greater than his Lord. If they have persecuted me, they
will also persecute you. If they have kept my saying,
they will keep yours also." If Christ was hated and persecuted
because of who He is and because of His message, He said, you
will be too. If they hate the vine, they're
going to hate the branches. Now it would be impossible to
hate the vine and love the branches. That's just not so. It can't
be. He said, remember this, the servant
is not greater than his Lord. If they hate me, if they persecute
me, the same thing is going to happen to you. So when this happens,
don't be upset. When you are rejected by the
world, the priest and the religious world, don't be upset that they
did the same thing to me. And it's going to happen to you.
It's going to happen to you. The world's attitude toward God
has not changed. Education has not done away with
the enmity that we are born with, that men are born with. Education
cannot do away with that. Can't do it. Only a new birth
can do away with that. Only a new birth. You just tell
the man the truth. The truth, and you'll find out
how he really feels about God and you. When I first heard the
gospel, this is so just clear to me and just when I read this
and I remembered some of these things, when I first heard the
gospel, I honestly, I was 20, about 23 years of age and I was
already going to a place, a missionary independent Baptist church there
in Milton. I thought when I heard the gospel, I had something to
say, and I thought that I thought they would be happy. Honest to
goodness, I thought they would be happy. I thought, man, I found
something out here. And I and I'm telling you what,
they weren't unhappy. I was I was stunned by by the
reaction. When you tell a man the truth
that God's on the throne, you tell him that Jesus Christ is
the sovereign God of heaven and earth, you tell him that He saves
whom He will, and you'll find out. You'll find out. I'm talking about men and women
who've gone to what we call church for years and years, and faithful
to it, And then you tell them the truth, and they just, boy,
they just angry, angry. You tell the truth. When you
stand for the truth, you're going to find out. Our Lord is telling
them and He's telling us. You're going to find out. The
world out here, the religious world, the Baptist church down
the street and the Methodists and Presbyterians, you're going
to find out you're hated. You're hated. However, if they keep my sayings,
they will keep yours also, because it's evident they are born of
God. Look over in 1 John chapter 4. Last night I sat down and
I wanted to read scripture before I went to bed, and I read the
whole epistle of 1 John. You get time sometime, you sit
down and read this whole epistle. And you see how much it matches
this chapter 15. Because he continually speaks
of abiding and love, abiding and love. The same thing, of
course, you know, he sat right there and heard the message.
He's the one giving it here over in the Gospel of John. But over
here anyway, before I sidetrack, over here in 1 John chapter 4, look in verse 6. We are of God. Let's go back to verse 5. They
are of the world, therefore speak they of the world, and the world
heareth them. The world heareth them. Applauds
them. Agrees with them. We are of God. He that knoweth God heareth us.
Agrees with us. Receives the message. He that
is not of God heareth not us. He disagrees with us. He says,
that's not so. That's not fair. What's fair
got to do with it anyway? It's what's right. God does what's
right. Hereby know we the spirit of
truth and the spirit of error. If they keep my saying, they'll
keep yours too, because it's evident they're born of God.
But all these things will they do unto you for my namesake,
because of me. They're going to do this to you
because of your connection, your union to me. Because they know
not him that sent me. Here's the one great problem.
Because they know not him that sent me. You wouldn't have convinced them
of that. If you were around those men, we know God. They said we
were never sinners. We're Abraham's seed. But you know what Christ said
to them? Christ said to those starch, staunch Pharisees, you're of your father
the devil. That's what he said to them. You're of your father the devil. The one great problem is this,
their ignorance of God. You know not him who sent me.
Men know not God. They are spiritually dead to
God, and because of this they will persecute you. Now, if I had not come and spoken
unto them, Scripture says he came unto his own, and his own
received him not. He came to the Jews first, as
was promised, He came proclaiming the truth, and they rejected
Him. He came in fulfillment of all that was spoken of Him, and
they rejected Him. He spoke all that He heard of
the Father. He said, that which I hear I
speak, and they rejected Him. Therefore, He says, they have
the greater condemnation. They. They heard Him. That generation,
especially that generation, they heard Him. They witnessed what
went on. If I had not spoken unto them, they had not had sin.
If he had not come and done among them all that he did, they would
not be under such severe judgment. More proof could not have been
given. They had all the scriptures. They had the word of God. They
had the types, the pictures. They had the prophets. We're
going to see that tonight in Hebrews chapter one. I'm going
to start going through Hebrews. God spoke to the fathers by the
prophets. They had all that, and they rejected
Him. They rejected Him. But now, He says, they have no
cloak, they have no excuse for their sin of rejection. It's
too late. Christ has come, and the volume
of the book is written of Him, and they rejected Him, and now
they have no excuse. None at all. And here's the seriousness. Here is the seriousness of the
charge. He that hateth me, hateth my
Father also. They claim to love God. They
claim to love God the Father, but they despise and hate that
man, Jesus Christ. To reject Christ is to reject the Father. It's
to reject the whole Godhead, the triune God. That's how serious
this is. That's how serious it is. Now, he says, in verse 24, if
I had not done among them the works which no other man did,
they had not had sin. But now they have both seen me.
They have both seen and hated both me and my Father. They can't
be separated. They're one. To hate one is to
hate the other. To love one is to love the other.
If you love Christ, Peter said, Lord, you know I love you. That's
to love the Father also. You love the triune God and you
love Christ. But his works were proof of his
deity. He healed the sick, gave sight to the blind, raised the
dead. They saw his mighty works and they still did not believe
him. You see, miracles has never saved anyone. It's the power
of God's Spirit through the preaching of the gospel that sinners are
saved. Not through seeing a miracle.
Not through seeing anything. It's by God arresting you, taking
control of you, and giving you life. But this comes to pass, that
the Word of God might be fulfilled that is written in their law.
Not just speaking about the Ten Commandments or the five books
of Moses. This is written in the Psalms. It's talking about
the Word of God. They hated me. Without a cause. In Psalm 35,
19, listen, let not them that are my enemies wrongfully rejoice
over me, neither let them wink with the eye that hate me without
a cause. Now turn over to Psalm 69 over
in Psalm 69. Let me read you the first four
verses here in Psalm 69. Save me, O God, for the waters
are coming into my soul. I sink in deep mire where there
is no standing. I am coming to deep waters where
the floods overflow me. I am weary of my crying. My throat
is dried. My eyes fail while I wait for
my God. They that hate me without a cause."
Now listen, they hate me without a cause. not one cause, not one
reason do they have to hate me, are more, are more than the hairs
of mine head. Now I've had one or two people
that probably couldn't stand me over my lifetime. I'm sure
I've had at least that many. But he says they are more than
the hairs of mine head because They include everyone that's
ever been born in this world, even us. At one time, at one
time, we hated Christ without a cause. At one time, we despised
the Lord Jesus Christ. I can assure you, at one time,
I wanted nothing to do with Him. I had other things I wanted to
do. He says, they that hate me are
more. that hate me without a cause are more than the hairs of mine
head. They that would destroy me, being
my enemies wrongfully, are mighty. Now listen, then I restored that
which I took not away. There was nothing in him. There
was nothing about him that would cause us to hate him. But this was foretold long before
it happened. God used their hatred to fulfill
His redemptive will. The wrath of man shall praise
Him, and the rest He will restrain. They did, I think as Peter said
over in the book of Acts, in Acts chapter 2, they did what
their wicked hearts wanted to do. They did what their wicked
hearts wanted to do. But at the same time, they fulfilled
the will and purpose of God in redemption. That's what they did. Christ never gave anyone cause
to hate Him. He was holy, harmless, undefiled. When He was reproached, He reviled
not again. He did not threaten. He did not
say, I'll get even with you. He said, Father, forgive them.
They don't know what they're doing. Without a cause, he was
hated. This hatred comes from within
us. It's a natural born enmity. Listen to Romans 8, verse 7. Because the carnal mind is enmity. Now, I've heard that quoted,
and I have probably, no doubt, quoted it myself. The carnal
mind is at enmity. It's not at enmity with God.
It is enmity. It is the very embodiment of
enmity against God. It is hatred. It is absolute,
pure, unadulterated hatred against God. That's what it is. For it
is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. And
then he was hated because of his message. It was a message
of grace. It was a message to sinners.
It was a message of mercy. It was a message of God's glory.
It was a message of who God is. And they hated him for it. Listen
to this, John 8, 40. But now you seek to kill me.
Why? Why? Here's why. But now you
seek to kill me, a man that has told you the truth. Revealed to you the truth. I've
told you the truth. Which I have heard of God. This
did not Abraham. And you want to kill me for it.
They hated him for his message. Then he was hated for preaching
God's sovereignty. Listen to these scriptures. I've
wrote these down to save time. In Luke chapter 4, verses 25
through 32. But I tell you of a truth. Here's
the truth. I tell you the truth. He said,
because I tell you the truth. Many widows were in Israel in
the days of Elias, when the heavens were shut up three years and
six months, when great famine was throughout all the land.
But unto none of them was Elias sent save unto Sarepta, a city
of Sidon, unto a woman that was a widow, a Gentile woman. And
many lepers were in Israel in the time of Elisha the prophet,
and none of them was cleansed save Naaman the Syrian. And all day in the synagogue,
you'd thought they'd been happy that God saved the leper. That God used this woman to take
care of His prophet. But when they heard these things,
these things, what did they hear? They heard that God Almighty
is sovereign in salvation. He cleansed the leper. Only this one leper, Naaman. And many lepers were in Israel
in the time of Elias the prophet. Many lepers. Many Jewish lepers
were in Israel. But God only healed one of them.
A Gentile. Doesn't that just make you mad? It did to him. It made them mad. And all they in the synagogue
when they heard these things were filled with wrath. and rose
up, and thrust him out of the city, and led him to the brow
of the hill, whereon their city was built, that they might cast
him down headlong, and throw him off the hill." He preached God's sovereignty
and salvation, and they were going to throw him off the hill.
And here, this group of people were the very people that stood
for election. They thought they were the elect. And when it was
really preached, as it is, They wanted to kill him for it. The
elect wanted to kill him for preaching election. Isn't that
something? That nation. And then they despised
and hated him because he preached righteousness, his righteousness.
He preached salvation by grace alone, through faith alone, in
Christ alone, in him alone. And they hated him for it. And
then they hated him because of the company he kept. This man
receives sinners, people like you and me. And he even eats
with them. He fellowships with them. And
doesn't that make you mad? It made them mad. To think, Gary, he'd receive
somebody like you in his house. Isn't that something? Somebody
like me. Somebody like you, Mike. Isn't
that something? But he was hated for the company
he kept. If this man was of God, he wouldn't
have dinner with them. But he did. Like that adulterous
woman, he received her and he was going to throw stones at
her. And they all left, except him. No one has ever been more hated
and despised than the Lord Jesus Christ. Now he said, if you want
to follow me, get ready. This is what you've got to put
up with. But when the comforters come, and I'll close this, when
the comforters come, whom I will send unto you from the Father,
even the Spirit of truth which proceeds from the Father, he'll
testify of me. He'll comfort you. He'll comfort
you. I'm not going to leave you comfortless.
I'm not going to throw you to the wolves. I'm not going to leave you by
yourself. The Spirit of truth, the Holy Spirit, third person
in the Trinity, who is God, who is God. He said he's going to
come, I'm going to send him to you, and he's going to be from
the Father. Even the Spirit of truth which proceeds from the
Father. He'll comfort you. He's going
to comfort every one of God's children. And how's he going
to do that? Don't worry, be happy. And there's
a song, don't worry, be happy. Yeah, right. I'll tell you how
He's going to comfort you. He's going to take the things
of mine, the things of redemption, the things that you have in me,
wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, redemption. He's going to take
the things of mine and show them to you. He's going to comfort
you with me. That's how. He's going to take the things
of Christ and show them to God's chosen people, affirming to them
all these things that belong to us in Christ. But now this,
and ye also shall bear witness, because you've been with me from
the beginning. The word translated, bear witness
here, he said, ye also shall bear witness. That word translated
in our language. is the same word from which we
get martyr. Martyr. That's what he's saying. Christ's witnesses are men and
women who, like the apostles, have laid down their lives for
Christ's sake. You're my martyrs. My witnesses. Hated without a cause. Hated
without a cause.