Of Vines And Branches - Part Four Series

Of Vines and Branches (Part Four)

Text: John 15:18-27

Imagine for a moment that you had to spend the day in Norman… You had to shop at Walmart, you had to go to a restaurant, and you had to go to the OU campus and speak at a presentation… not such a bad thing right? But imagine that you had to do all of that, and all you had to wear that day was a shirt that said, “I Love the Crimson Tide”

Changes things doesn’t it?

Now imagine that you had to spend the day in Tehran, the capital city of Iran… you had to walk the streets and be out in public all day long, and all you had to wear was a shirt that said, “I Love Jesus!”

In the first instance, you might get some stares… you might have a few choice words hurled your direction… you might even have some people who are extremely impolite. In the second instance, you’re probably going to have to run and hide in order to make it out of the city alive.

We’ve been looking at John chapter 15, and so far we’ve talked about being connected to the vine… we’ve talked about bearing fruit… and we’ve talked about how it’s all tied together by love… Our Love for God – God’s Love for us – and loving one another… and that love is what makes the difference. So today we’re going to finish up this chapter, and we’re going to see Jesus contrast that love with the hate of the world. Let’s go to our text (READ John 15:18-27).

So let me ask you all, have any of you ever been to Napa Valley California? I never have… but I have a slide that shows you some pictures (SHOW)… you see how green and cultivated it is? That particular region has just the right kind of climate and ecosystem that allows grapes to flourish and thrive… but if you go just a few hours drive to the east, you run into another valley… Death Valley (SHOW SLIDE). It’s a completely different climate and ecosystem. Nothing will live and thrive there

If you go west of Napa Valley, you run directly into the Pacific Ocean… can’t grow grapes in the Pacific Ocean… North of Napa is Portland Oregon… They get between 36 and 43 inches of rain every year… just to compare – we get between 19 and 24 inches of rain on average. South of Napa are the sprawling cities of San Francisco, LA, and San Diego. Vast areas of asphalt, concrete, and steel.

What I’m getting at here is that Napa Valley is completely different than everything around it. It stands out in stark contrast…

And that is how we should be as Christians. We should be distinct from the world. (Taken and adapted from an illustration on Sermon Central)

Look at verses 18 & 19 again (READ).

So, what should we expect from the world? Hatred! The Greek word there is “miseo”… That’s way more than the reaction you’d get from wearing an Alabama shirt in Norman… it’s more like wearing an “I Love Jesus” shirt in Tehran Iran. It means “to hate”, “to despise”, “to detest”… “to pursue with murderous hatred”.

And so Jesus is saying here, “If the world hates you… if the world despises you… if the world wants to murder you, know that it has done the same to Me.” That’s verse 18… But then He says, “But if you were of the world – it would love you… “phileo” you… that’s brotherly love… It means to love, to be fond of, to cherish as a brother. That’s how the world would treat you if you were of the world. But Jesus goes on… He says, “BUT…”. In other words… the world isn’t going to love you that way.

It isn’t going to love you in that way BECAUSE He has chosen us out of the world… and BECAUSE He has chosen us out of the world… the world will hate you. It will “miseo” you.

This is what Jesus faced. A hatred so intense it took Him to the cross. It’s what these disciples faced. Every one of them except John would be martyred for their faith. It’s what Christians faced until 313 A.D when Constantine issued the Edict of Milan… 300 years of solid miseo – hatred, persecution, violence, imprisonment, death.

And it’s still happening today. In places like Iran, Iraq, China, The Sudan and now all over Europe.

Have you ever noticed how it seems like Christians get so excited when some celebrity comes out and claims to be a Christian? Have you ever seen that? It’s weird… Like some celebrity endorsement adds credence to Christianity. To be honest, I cringe every time that happens… because what you typically see is some celebrity come out and say, “I’m a Christian”, but their language doesn’t change, their lifestyle doesn’t change… They still have a foul mouth and an immoral lifestyle… And those who do actually get converted… they aren’t in Hollywood for long… they don’t get movies or TV shows, they get black-listed and silenced. So, big difference right? People can profess it all day long, but when you’re truly born again, and changed by the power of God, given a new nature, new desires, new devotions… the world hates that.