May 17, 2001

"These things have I spoken unto you, that ye should not be offended.
They shall put you out of the synagogues: yea, the time cometh, that
whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth God service. And these
things will they do unto you, because they have not known the Father,
nor me." John 16:1-3

The Lord didn't want the apostles to be offended, that is, scandalized
at what would happen to them. It is characteristic of founders of
organizations, and especially of religions, to attempt to present a
glorious future for their organizations. The method of the world is to
build up the wonderful benefits and to play down the hardships and
disadvantages and privations and sacrifices. How different our Lord is!
In John 14 our Lord told us that He is going to prepare a place for us
and that He will receive us unto Himself. He also makes it very clear
that i we are ging to follow Him down here, it means to forsake all. He
said that foxes have holes and birds have nests, but He didn't have a
place to lay His head. He said that if we are going to follow Him, we
must take up our cross ~ not His cross ~ our own cross, and follow Him.
If we suffer with Him down here, we shall reign with Him up there. He
was despised and rejected. He was a Man of Sorrows and acquainted with
grief. He said His followers are going to be in the world but not of the
world and that the world would hate them ("If the world hate you, ye
know that it hated me before it hated you. If ye were of the world, the
world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I
have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you" (John
15:18-19). He made all of that very clear. He never said that it would
be easy for His followers down here.
The professing church, instead of taking the position of Christ, has
gone out into the world, boasting that they are going to convert the
world. Of course, they haven't done it in over 2000 years. In their
attempt they always try to popularize religion, making it very
attractive to the world. Today there are all kinds of churches using all
kinds of devices to attract the ungodly. Even music has come down to the
level of the world. They say, "We have to do this to win the world!" I
wonder who told them they were going to win the world? Some churches
today are going way off track. In them you will find enemies of the Word
of God! Although they may not dare attack the Bible, they level their
attack against the man who is preaching the Word of God. This is so sad.
If you stand for the Word of God, you will find that the world won't
love you. You will truly experience the hatred that Christ experienced.
"These things have I spoken unto you, that ye should not be offended."
He is warning them ahead of time in order to strengthen them and let
them know what is coming. He loves them right on through to the very
end, and He lets them know that He will be with them and that He
understands what they are going through.
He knew they would have moments when they would be offended because of
Him. He knew that Peter would deny Him that very night. He told His
disciples what would happen in order to encourage them and to let them
know that He would sustain them through it all. He forwarned them to
establish their responsibility to God.
"They shall put you out of the synagogues" means excommunication. In
that day to be excommunicated was the worst that could happen to a
religious Jew. It would cost these men to stand for the Lord Jesus
Christ. The religious Jews would cast them out. I am very candid to say,
that if you are standing for the Lord today, it is going to cost you
something. But the Spirit of the Lord will remain with us as we take our
stand, and our reward will be great!
The world hates a genuine believer because they do not know the Father ~
they do not know the Lord Jesus. Won't you introduce someone to Jesus
today and take a stand for Him? You will be blessed for it! After all. .
.
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