You Also Must Testify
John 15:18-16:4
Key verse 27
“And you also must testify because you have been with me from the beginning”
Last Sunday we learned that if we remain in Jesus we can bear much fruit, we can receive answer for our prayers and we can love one another. In today’s passage we can see there is one more thing that we will have if we remain in Jesus. That is hatred from the world.
Has there been a time in your life when somebody hated you? It is very uncomfortable situation. And you want to get out of that situation by any means. Probably you want to know the reason why the person hates you and you want to find a way to reconcile relationship with the person.
Now in today’s passage Jesus teaches his disciples why the world hates them. Most of all he taught them how they should respond toward the world who hates them. In doing so he prepared his disciples for the upcoming persecution after his death. So let us see why the world hates Jesus’ disciples and how Jesus’ disciples should respond to the world. Part I. If the world hates you (15:18-25). Part II. And you also must testify (15:26-16:4). Part I deals with the reason why the world hates Jesus’ disciples and part II deals with how Jesus’ disciples should respond to the world.
If the world hates you. (15:18-25)
In this part Jesus reveals the reason why the world hates his disciples. Jesus taught three reasons why the world hates his disciples.
First, the world hates Jesus’ disciples because Jesus’ disciples do not belong to the world. Look at verses 18-19. “If the world hates you keep in mind that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world it would love you as its own. As it is you do not belong to the world but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you.” The world hates Jesus’ disciples because Jesus’ disciples do not belong to the world. To belong to the world means to live according to the pattern of the world. Yet, Jesus’ disciples do not follow the pattern of the world because they do not belong to the world whose prince is the devil. If they belonged to the world it would love them as its own! But they do not belong to the world because Jesus has chosen them out of the world. They are in the world but they do not belong to the world. That is why the world hates them.
So belonging is important. Belonging shows one’s identity. Spiritually how many places of belongings do we have? There are only two. Jesus and the world. We either belong to Jesus or the world. We cannot belong to both at the same time. Some people try to belong to Jesus and the world at the same time, but it never works.
What is “the world”? “The world” is everything that opposes God. It includes people and system and all other things that oppose God. What is in the world?
1 John 2:15-16 reads,
“15 Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16 For everything in the world--the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does--comes not from the Father but from the world.”
Everything in the world is “the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does”. If we belong to the world we are ruled by the cravings us, the lust of our eyes and the boasting of what we have and do.
When we think about the world we realize that everything in the world is inside of us. “The cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does” is inside of us. We may belong to a church by appearance. Yet our inside may belong to the world. Then our true belonging is the world, and we will follow the pattern of the world. We will love what the world loves and we will do what the world does. We will hate Jesus’ disciples who truly commit themselves to Jesus.
Jesus continued his teaching. Verse 20-21a reads, “[20] Remember the words I spoke to you. No servant is greater than his master. If they persecuted me they will persecute you also. If they obeyed my teaching they will obey yours also. [21] They will treat you this way because of my name.” The world would persecute Jesus’ disciples because of Jesus’ name. Jesus’ name is what the world hates. So Jesus told them, “If the world hates you keep in mind that it hated me first.” The world hates Jesus’ disciples because they do not belong to the world.
Second, the world hates Jesus’ disciples because the world does not know the Father or Jesus. Verse 20b reads, “They will treat you this way because they do not know the One who sent me.”
John 16:2-3 reads, “2 They will put you out of the synagogue; in fact, a time is coming when anyone who kills you will think he is offering a service to God. 3 They will do such things because they have not known the Father or me.”
Chapter 15 may talk about persecution from Gentile world whereas chapter 16 may talk about persecution from the Jews. However, they have common reasons of persecution. One of them is that they are ignorant of the Father and Jesus. The Jews claimed that they are people of God. But surprisingly they put Christians out of their synagogues, and by doing so they revealed that they do not know the Father or Jesus.
One good example is Apostle Paul who was a Jew but persecuted Christians. His old name was Saul. Saul thought he was serving the Lord by persecuting Jesus’ disciples. But Jesus appeared to him and said, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?” Then Saul said, “Who are you, Lord.” Jesus answered, “I am Jesus whom you are persecuting.” Saul did not know Jesus is the Lord! Surely the ignorance of the Father and Jesus is the reason why the world hates Jesus’ disciples.
Third, the world hates Jesus’ disciples because the world is guilty of sin. Verses 22-24 reads, “[22] If I had not come and spoken to them they would not be guilty of sin. Now, however, they have no excuse for their sin. [23] He who hates me hates my Father as well. [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 still hated both me and my Father.”
Jesus revealed the sin of the world when he preached the word of God. Jesus’ word reveals the world’s sin because it is sharper than double-edged sword. Hebrews 4:12 reads, “12 For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.” When Jesus came and spoke the word of God it reveals everything inside of men including the attitudes of their hearts. All the hidden “cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does” was exposed under bright light of Jesus’ word. The world could have no excuse for their sin.
Yet, the world did not want to acknowledge Jesus as the Savior. But all of Jesus’ miracles revealed that Jesus came to save men from their sins. Jesus’ words and miracles put the world in the place where they are guilty of sin. They can make no excuse for their sin.
But the world wants to remove Jesus instead of repenting their sin. They hate Jesus and in the course of hating Jesus they hate the Father and Jesus’ disciples.
Jesus described the hatred of the world because of their sin in this way. John 15:25 reads, “But this is to fulfill what is written in their Law: 'They hated me without reason.'
Now how should Jesus’ disciples respond to the world who hates them? Since the world hates Jesus’ disciples so much even to the point of killing them without reason Jesus’ disciples would be tempted to respond back with hatred and violence. If Jesus’ disciples respond to the world with love the world may take advantage of the love of Jesus’ disciples and persecute them all the more. So how should Jesus’ disciples respond to the world who hate them so much?
You also must testify (15:26-6:4)
In this part Jesus taught his disciples how they should respond to the world who hates them.
Verse 26 reads, “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.”
When Jesus’ disciples could not do much against the world who hates them the Counselor comes. Jesus sends the Counselor to his disciples and the Counselor comes from the Father. All Trinity God work very closely when the Counselor comes. The Counselor is called as ‘the Spirit of truth’ because he reveals only truth. When the Counselor comes he will testify about Jesus who is the truth. He reveals who Jesus is and what he has done to save the world in a very gentle way.
The world persecutes Christians to remove Jesus’ name from the earth. Since the world is powerful Christians do not have much to protect them. They cannot do much to preserve the knowledge of Jesus. Yet, at the time of persecution the Counselor comes! The Son whom the world crucified sends the Counselor from the Father to his disciples and the Counselor testifies about Jesus. Now when the Spirit of truth testifies about Jesus who can oppose him? No one can put the Counselor into prison. No one can arrest him. No one can persecute him. No one can bind him. No one can hinder his working because he works in the heats of men.
Since the Counselor testifies about Jesus in the midst of persecution persecution never removes Jesus’ name from the earth. When there is persecution there is powerful work of the Counselor.
Human history shows persecution eventually spreads Jesus’ name all the more instead of removing Christianity. Indeed who can oppose God when God works through the Spirit of truth?
Gamaliel in Acts understood this. He knew that men cannot oppose God. When Sanhedrin tried to persecute Jesus’ disciples who preached the resurrection of Jesus this is how he helped Sanhedrin.
Acts 5:35-39 reads,
35 Then he addressed them: "Men of Israel, consider carefully what you intend to do to these men. 36 Some time ago Theudas appeared, claiming to be somebody, and about four hundred men rallied to him. He was killed, all his followers were dispersed, and it all came to nothing. 37 After him, Judas the Galilean appeared in the days of the census and led a band of people in revolt. He too was killed, and all his followers were scattered. 38 Therefore, in the present case I advise you: Leave these men alone! Let them go! For if their purpose or activity is of human origin, it will fail. 39 But if it is from God, you will not be able to stop these men; you will only find yourselves fighting against God."
Surely when the Counselor comes and testifies about Jesus no one can oppose him.
Now to whom does the Counselor testify about Jesus first? The world or Jesus’ disciples? Jesus’ disciples because Jesus will send the Counselor to his disciples instead of the world.
So the Spirit of truth will testify about Jesus to his disciples first before he testifies about Jesus to the world. When the Counselor comes Jesus’ disciples will know who Jesus is more clearly through the testimony of the Counselor. That is one of the reasons why Jesus’ disciples will end up testifying about Jesus to the world.
There is another reason why Jesus’ disciples need to testify about Jesus. Jesus said in John 15:27 “And you also must testify, for you have been with me from the beginning.”
“From the beginning” means “from the beginning of Jesus’ ministry.” It means Jesus’ disciples are those who know Jesus the most among all men. So they are best qualified to testify about Jesus. At the same time they are obligated to testify about Jesus to the world.
By testifying about Jesus Jesus’ disciples work together with the Spirit of truth who testifies about Jesus.
There is a man who testifies about Jesus before huge crowds. Recently we heard about football player “Tim Tebow”. He is Jesus’ loving player. In 2010 a new rule for the next NCAA football season banned messages on eye paint. This rule was dubbed "The Tebow Rule" by media because it would have affected him. During his college football career, Tebow frequently wore references to biblical verses on his HYPERLINK "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eye_black" \o "Eye black" eye black. In the 2009 BCS Championship Game, he wore HYPERLINK "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_3:16" \o "John 3:16" John 3:16 on his eye black; the verse was the highest-ranked HYPERLINK "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Google" \o "Google" Google search term over the next 24 hours, generating over 90 million searches. Last year when he became Broncos quarterback a mysterious thing happened. As a quarterback his record is poor but his team is winning especially at fourth quarters as he prays on the play ground. When he testifies about Jesus in this way many people like him but a lot more people hate him as well.
There is a man who testified about Jesus under persecution. There was one Russian Jew in Russian forced labor camp known as gulag where people who criticized Stalin or Russian Communist government even a little bit were put. He was a medical doctor. His name is Boris Nikolayevich Kornfeld. Russians did not kill him because he was useful being a doctor. He became a Christian although he was a Jew. One day he realized that he could not cheat his conscience any more as a Christian. Yet, to stand up and follow the voice of his conscience means death. In the past he silenced the voice of his conscience even though he knew many prison inmates were dying because prison guards were taking away their food. Finally the time came for him to stand up against guards to protect his patients, poor prisoners, at the cost of his own life. He knew he would be persecuted and killed any time by the guards if he exposed their stealing. But he did. After that he was living under death threat all the time. One day he met one young man who went through a cancer surgery. The doctor thought that the young man would not survive because his condition was critical. So at the dark of the night in a hospital the doctor testified about Jesus. He told the young man how he became a Christian. Then the doctor went to bed, and the young man fell into sleep too. The next morning people found that the doctor was beaten with eight blows on his skull and he died on that day without regaining his conscience. So his testimony to the young man became his last testimony about Jesus. The young man could not brush aside the last testimony of the medical doctor who had compassion on him and later he also became a Christian. His name is Alexander Solzhenitsyn (1918-2008). He revealed the brutal and inhumane practice of Russian camps through his novel. Later he received Nobel prize. The testimony of the doctor bore the fruit before God. He saved one young man, and his faith still lived through the young man.
Indeed it is divine obligation of Jesus’ disciples to testify about Jesus. So Jesus said to his disciples, “And you also must testify for you have been with me from the beginning”.
Now look at 16:1-4. Verses 1-4 reads, “1 "All this I have told you so that you will not go astray. 2 They will put you out of the synagogue; in fact, a time is coming when anyone who kills you will think he is offering a service to God. 3 They will do such things because they have not known the Father or me. 4 I have told you this, so that when the time comes you will remember that I warned you. I did not tell you this at first because I was with you.”
Jesus explains the reason why he told his disciples about upcoming persecution. It was to help them not to go astray. It is to help them to be warned so that they would not be caught by surprise and lose faith. Jesus did not need to tell them about persecution at first because he was with them and he protected them. But now he is leaving them and they should know the persecution from the world.
In conclusion, the world hates Jesus’ disciples because Jesus’ disciples do not belong to the world and the world is ignorant of the Father and Jesus and the world is guilty of sin. Yet, the time of persecution is the time of the coming of the Counselor who will testify about Jesus. Jesus’ disciples also must testify about Jesus because they had been with Jesus from the beginning.
One word: And you also must testify
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