Why Am I Not Hated – Mark 13:13
As I was reading through this past couple of weeks, I found the book of Mark to be speaking directly to me. Last week we spoke about being politically correct, and I know that I didn’t use scripture from Mark, but I believe one of the verses that sparked the thought was Mark 8:34 where it says “And He summoned the crowd with His disciples and said to them, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow me.” Think about this in context, in the lifetime of Jesus, the cross was not something anyone wanted to carry because they knew this was going to lead them to their death. We don’t have that happening here today. However, we do still need to deny ourselves, take up our cross and follow Him. That is a difficult thing to do. We see things that we want, we want to do things that make us feel good, we want what we want and we do what is comfortable for us to do. We conform to our surroundings and like I said last week, we get caught up in being politically correct so that we don’t offend people. This week is a bit of a continuation from last week’s theme. We need not worry about being offensive to humans if we are pleasing God. I am more concerned about offending Him than anyone else. Jesus told us in Mark 13:13 that “You will be hated by all because of My name, but the one who endures to the end, he will be saved.” What does that mean? Does that mean that we should seek to be hated? No, I don’t believe so. But I do believe that it means we need to stand up against the sins of the world. Not the people, not the sinners, but the sins. We are to educate the world of God’s word. We are to be, as followers of Christ, the moral compass for everyone. The examples people want to follow. How can we do that if we are not standing strong behind what He has written? He warns us that we will be hated but He also says that if we endure to the end, we will be saved. Sounds like a promise to me. My commentary says that this endurance does not produce salvation, but it is Spirit empowered perseverance and proof of the reality of salvation in the one who endures. So I ask you, does anyone hate you because you are not willing to bend the biblical standard, or do you bend it enough that people don’t really know where you stand? Why am I not hated? What am I doing wrong? Am I being too wishy washy? Am I living a life that doesn’t truly reflect God’s love? Remember that love also means we care enough to tell someone when they are doing wrong. We care enough about them to let them know what the consequences of their choices could be if they don’t repent. Is this an easy task? Is this a comfortable thing to do? Is it something that we do naturally? The answer to all three of those questions, in my opinion is no, it’s not easy, it’s not comfortable and it’s not natural, but it is necessary! My friends we live in a world where adultery, theft, rape, murder, drunkenness, divorce, non-biblical sexual relations, and lying is more common than sharing, caring, and loving. There are people in this world that seek to manipulate and tear down others for their own gain everywhere. How is our life different from theirs? What are we doing to teach them as our great commission says we are to do? How are we loving them as Jesus would love them? Loving someone means caring enough to tell them when they are doing wrong. We give second chances, third chances, as a matter of fact, we are to give 490 chances, doesn’t Jesus say we are to forgive 7 times 70 times? I’m not saying that we should let people walk over us and take whatever people give us. Quite the opposite, we are to be like Christ. Did He walk away from the Pharisees when they challenged Him? No, he stood up to them and made them question themselves numerous times. Did He turn away from the struggles people faced? No, he helped them through it and healed them from them. What was the last thing He told the woman that committed adultery? “Go and sin no more.” He gave us a model for forgiveness and second chances. This is the teacher we are to follow. This is THE TEACHER we are to learn from. This TEACHER is the TRUTH. 2 Timothy 4:3-4“For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires, and will turn away their ears from the truth and will turn aside to myths.” We spoke about that last week. We should be ready in season and out of season with patience and instruction. If we are confused about what to do in certain situations, we should seek wisdom from God. Ask and it will be given, seek His counsel at all times. It may not be pleasing to others around you to speak up about biblical incorrectness when you hear it happening. Yes God wants good for all of His children, but that doesn’t mean He wants us to do whatever makes US happy at the expense of being disobedient to His word. Why are so many atheists coming forward in these days? Is it because they haven’t been introduced to a God that loves them, or is it because they don’t want to believe so that they can do whatever they want while they are here on this earth? I can ask the same thing of some Christians, why are so many living such an earthly life? Is it because they have prayed the sinners prayer and now know that they can do whatever they want and they will be forgiven so they continue in the ways of the world conforming to society so they can fit in and not be hated?
I’m not saying that we should seek to be hated, I am also not saying we should be hateful in our correcting. That is not what God wants from us. He wants us to be patient and loving in our instruction.
I know that a new movie was released this weekend, called 50 shades of gray, based on the book with the same name. I have never read the book, nor do I have any interest in doing so. However, I have heard some stories about it and as a father, I would not want my daughter to ever be treated in the ways I heard about are described in this book. We have gotten to a point in society where pornography is as common as a house. It is in television shows, and I’m not just talking about late night television but prime time television. Cmon pastor, it’s not pornography, those television shows don’t show nudity. Let me give you the definition of pornography from Webster’s dictionary it is defined as a noun, writings, pictures, films, etc, designed to stimulate sexual excitement. Nowhere in that definition does it say anything about nudity. I know that this is a topic that a lot of Christians don’t want to talk about. Its something that other people do, non believers and the like right? WRONG… this is something that every human either has experienced in some manner, or will at some point in their lives. Why? I saw the answer on the sign at the Lifebuilders Church of God as I was driving down 121. “God made sex great” those are the words on the sign, pastor Bamba is doing a series on that subject. I pray that it enlightens those that need to hear it to what biblical relationships are supposed to be like. Knowing what I know about him, it will. It’s these topics that we don’t take a stand on that cause us not to be hated. And what happens when we do take a stand? People get upset and offended because those bible thumpers are at it again right? Taking away all of our fun and just being prudish do gooders that don’t know how to have fun. We just cant win, we can’t fit in because we aren’t supposed to! We are not of this world. How many times have you heard me use this passage? Romans 12:2 “And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, to so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.”
We are aliens in this world. We are no longer of this world when we become children of God. But the world wants us to fit in. They don’t want to hear any of this alien talk. They want to do what is fun and exciting and enjoyable. Let’s think about the perception those of this world have of us “Christians” and I put Christians in quotation marks, because that’s what they do.
How many of you have heard, he’s no better than me, no different than me, as a matter of fact, I just saw him standing outside of a bar smoking a cigarette and holding a beer. He was drunk as can be. But he can do that because he is “forgiven” heck he can do whatever he wants to do and he’ll still get to heaven because he says that he has asked Jesus into his heart. Or how about this, I don’t need church, me and Jesus have an understanding… I do my thing, He does His and we don’t mess around with all the petty details… I’ve even heard this… I was baptized when I was 12, I know that I’m going to heaven, I don’t have to worry, I’m saved.
My friends, once we are “saved” or have received the Holy Spirit in our lives, we are born again! Baptized by the fire that is the Holy Spirit. John said that in Matthew 3:11 “As for me, I baptize you with water, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, and I am not fit to tie His sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.” We are being refined on a daily basis to live as followers of Jesus. Does that mean we are perfect? Does that mean that we will never sin again? Does that mean that we won’t ever give in to the things that tempt us? NO It does not. But what it does mean, at least to me is that people will notice a change in our lives. We will no longer want to give in to those temptations, we will no longer follow that dark path we were walking down once we have received the light and seen what Jesus has to offer. We have the greatest gift known to mankind, one that people have been looking for since the beginning of time… We have the fountain of youth! We have everlasting life. We will never die. Yes our bodies will age and will die, but our soul, our spirit, will live forever in the house of The Lord and we will be given new bodies and a life where there is no darkness, only light. No hate, only love. No pain only health. I am looking forward to that day. I pray that everyone here is too, and that everyone here knows that they will be a part of that eternal promise. If that is not the case, I pray that you don’t wait, that you have a conversation with God and make Him Lord of your life. What does the word Lord mean? a person who has authority, control, or power over others; a master, chief, or ruler. That is one definition found in the dictionary. There are many ways we use the word lord here. Landlord, lord of Winchester, lord of the rings, etc, but there is only one Lord of lords. King of kings and that is Jesus. I’m going to ask those that are singing our closing song to come forward, and as they do I want to ask you if you have felt the touch of God in your life. I want you to search your life, take an inventory of those things that you have control over and aren’t willing to give up to God just yet, and talk to Him. tell Him why you want to hold on to it a bit longer. Perhaps you don’t want to hold on to it any more. Ask Him to take it, and when you do, let it go. Don’t take it back. God will never let us be tempted with more than we can withstand. We always have an option to say no. Look at your life and ask yourself where you have conformed to this world and have let them dictate the moral standards in the life of you or your family. Let’s take a stand today. Let’s live as disciples, baptizing and teaching all of the nations the ways of the Lord.
