PERSECUTION FROM THE WORLD - PART ONE
Sunday, June 27, 2010
This is My commandment: that you love one another [just] as I have loved you. 13 No one has greater love [no one has shown stronger affection] than to lay down (give up) his own life for his friends. 14 You are My friends if you keep on doing the things which I command you to do. 15 I do not call you servants (slaves) any longer, for the servant does not know what his master is doing (working out). But I have called you My friends, because I have made known to you everything that I have heard from My Father. [I have revealed to you everything that I have learned from Him.] 16 You have not chosen Me, but I have chosen you and I have appointed you [I have planted you], that you might go and bear fruit and keep on bearing, and that your fruit may be lasting [that it may remain, abide], so that whatever you ask the Father in My Name [as presenting all that I AM], He may give it to you. 17 This is what I command you: that you love one another. 18 If the world hates you, know that it hated Me before it hated you. 19 If you belonged to the world, the world would treat you with affection and would love you as its own. But because you are not of the world [no longer one with it], but I have chosen (selected) you out of the world, the world hates (detests) you. 20 Remember that I told you, A servant is not greater than his master [is not superior to him]. If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you; if they kept My word and obeyed My teachings, they will also keep and obey yours. 21 But they will do all this to you [inflict all this suffering on you] because of [your bearing] My name and on My account, for they do not know or understand the One Who sent Me. 22 If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not be guilty of sin [would be blameless]; but now they have no excuse for their sin. 23 Whoever hates Me also hates My Father.24 If I had not done (accomplished) among them the works which no one else ever did, they would not be guilty of sin. But [the fact is] now they have both seen [these works] and have hated both Me and My Father. 25 But [this is so] that the word written in their Law might be fulfilled, They hated Me without a cause. John 15:12-25 AMP
Jesus loved us so much that He sacrificed His life for us—His friends—as He calls us. He only had one life to give and He gave it freely and utterly. Only those who obey His commands can claim to be His friends. Jesus is the one who promoted us from servants to friends. What an honor to be called a friend of God! We did not choose Jesus—He chose us—He loved us and died for us and invited us into His family. We have a choice to make as well—to either accept or reject His offer of salvation. He chose us and appointed us to bear lasting fruit so that whatever we ask the Father, in the Name of Jesus, He will give us. Jesus wants us to get our prayers answered! We should consider it a great, great honor that Jesus loves us so much!
Because Jesus is our Lord and Master, we owe Him our unconditional obedience, but Jesus asks us to obey Him simply because we love Him. The Father, Himself, loves us and desires that His love be freely reciprocated. Indeed, He has been so devoted to us; we owe Him something in return. We owe Him our honor and loyalty. 1 Corinthians 7:23 ERV says that, “God paid a high price for you, so don’t be slaves to anyone else.” You need to take your eyes off of other people—stop caring about what they think of you more than what God thinks of you and be loyal in every way to the One who saved you and set you free.
Jesus goes on to speak of persecution. The world—the world’s system—hates Jesus; hates righteousness; hates what is good—without a cause and for no reason. The god of this world—the devil—has blinded the eyes of the unbelievers so that they should not discern the Truth (2 Cor. 4:4). They hate Jesus and they hate you, but don’t even know why themselves. If the world hates you—know that they hated Jesus first. If you were one of them and like them—they would love you. But because you are not one of them and you are not like them, they hate you. A servant is not greater than his master—if they persecuted Jesus, they will persecute you as well. Don’t be surprised at persecution when it comes, because everyone who desires to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution (2 Tim. 3:12). If they hate you, they hate Jesus too. If they hate Jesus, they hate the Father who sent Jesus to die—even for them. Before Saul became Paul, he too hated Jesus and all Christians, but his eyes were opened and he ended up giving his life for the sake of the Gospel!
Christians get enough hatred from the world—we need each other’s love, support and encouragement. Many times, we think that other Christians are our problem, when our only problem is the devil. He comes to sow discord so that he can divide and conquer. When the Christians of the Early Church were persecuted, they pulled together, called on the Father in unison and continued to boldly preach the Gospel, perform miracles and meet the needs of the people. It’s time the Body of Christ woke up and stopped fighting each other, rather, stood side to side and faced the devil—our true enemy—and fought and conquered him! Jesus asks us to please Him by unselfishly loving one another and he will give you the strength to do it.
Recent:
Righteous Now
Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. 2 Corinthians 5:17 KJV
Therefore if any person is [ingrafted] in Christ (the Messiah) he is a new creation (a new creature altogether); the old [previous moral and spiritual condition] has passed away. Behold, the fresh and new has come! 2 Corinthians 5:17 AMP
“Therefore if any man be in Christ…” What does it mean to be “in Christ”? Galatians 3:27 says, “For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.” You are baptized into Christ when you receive Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior. Romans 10:9-10 says, “That if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.” And Romans 10:13 says, “For whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.” The moment
Defeating Strife
These six things the Lord hates, indeed, seven are an abomination to Him: 17 A proud look [the spirit that makes one overestimate himself and underestimate others], a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, 18 A heart that manufactures wicked thoughts and plans, feet that are swift in running to evil, 19 A false witness who breathes out lies [even under oath], and he who sows discord among his brethren. Proverbs 6:16-19 AMP
Faith Facts
Faith is persistent
Luke 11:9-10 AMP
So I say to you, Ask and keep on asking and it shall be given you; seek and keep on seeking and you shall find; knock and keep on knocking and the door shall be opened to you. 10 For everyone who asks and keeps on asking receives; and he who seeks and keeps on seeking finds; and to him who knocks and keeps on knocking, the door shall be opened.
John 16:24 AMP
Up to this time you have not asked a [single] thing in My Name [as presenting all that I AM]; but now ask and keep on asking and you will receive, so that your joy (gladness, delight) may be full and complete.
Faith is single-minded
James 1:5-8 AMP
If any of you is deficient in wisdom, let him ask of the giving God [Who gives] to everyone liberally and ungrudgingly, without reproaching or faultfinding, and it will be given him. 6 Only it must be in faith that he asks with no wavering (no hesitating, no doubting). For the one who wavers (hesitates, doubts) is like the