John chapter fifteen. To begin at verse eight, he said the first seven verses, last word today. Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit, so shall ye be my disciples. As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you. Continue ye in my love. If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love, even as I have kept my father's commandments, and abide in his love. These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full. This is my commandment, that ye love one another. Now, when he talks about the commandment, he's not talking about the ten commandments. This is a new commandment in the verse of that, and the commandment of love. The word commandment is used interchangeably in John's epistle for the word, the word of God. This is my commandment, not that you keep the Ten Commandments, but that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no man than this that a man lay down his life for his friends. He are, my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command of you. Henceforth I call you not servants, for the servant knoweth not what his Lord doeth, but I have called you friends. For all things that I have heard of my Father, and I have made known unto you. He have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you. that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain. But whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, ye may give it you. The choice here is not salvation, it's service. He chose the twelve. These things I command you that ye love one another. If the world hates 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, and I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world teaches you. Remember the word that I said unto you, the servant is not greater than his Lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they have kept my things, they will keep yours also. For all these things will they do unto you, for my name's sake, because they know not him that sent me. If I had not come and spoken unto them, they had not had sin, but now they had no cloak for their sin. He that hath me hath my father also. If I had not done, Among them the works that none other man did, they had not had sin, but now have they both seen and hated both me and my father. But this cometh the path that the word might be fulfilled, that is written in their law, they hated me without a cause. But when the comforter is come whom I will send unto you from the Father, Even the Spirit of truth, which proceeds from the Father, he shall testify of me. You have the Trinity in that verse. The Lord is seeking whom I, that's the Lord Jesus, will send unto you from the Father, and there's the Father, even the Spirit of truth, for there's the Spirit to have the Trinity. the spirit of truth which proceeds from the Father he shall testify of me and he also shall bear witness because he has been with me from the beginning now this morning we want to get into the second part of our text last Sunday we were speaking on fruit bearing now this morning this second section that's a glorious partnership in verses nine to seven and I don't know any better way to give you the meaning of them. I'll just skip down them and point out something in each verse. And you have, in verse seven, something to do with answered prayer. If ye abide in me and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will and it shall be done unto you. We'll speak more on the answering of prayer in chapter sixteenths. But you must abide in Christ if you're going to get to even expect to have your prayers answered. There are three things. Abide in him and ask in his name for the glory of God. There are the three things that the Bible presents if you want your prayers answered. Abide in Christ, ask in his name for the glory of God. And if you don't do those three things, don't expect your prayers to be answered. Now that's plainly taught in the Scriptures. And so we have abiding and answered prayer. Then you have also in verse eight, fruit bearing and discipleship. He said, Here it is my Father glorified that you bear much fruit, so shall ye be my disciples. True discipleship follows abiding in Christ. And verse nine, it's nice to see the as and the soul. A lot of them in the scriptures. John is very often quoting the truth. As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you. Continue ye in my love. How wonderful. His love is without beginning. His love is without shape. His love is without end. His love is without measure. Can you remember... When you first loved him, I do. I was nineteen. I feared him. I reverenced him. But I didn't love the Lord Jesus Christ until the night I got saved. I loved the men. We loved him because he first loved us. Yes, I remember when I loved him. But I can't remember when he loved God in love with me. That was back in eternity past. This love is eternal love. How wonderful. And without measure. Our love oftentimes has measurements. It may be a full measure. Especially just when you get married. Yes, full measure. But I don't know how far it goes down in the jug. Only you do. But the Lord's love never changed. It never subsides. It never drops. Having loved his own which were in the world, he loved them unto the end. It's at night, you see, as am so of this work. As the Father loved me so. The Father loved the Son, and the Son loved, Son loved like the Father. There's no variation. There's no drop in quality, nor in quantity. Then again you have in verse Ten, obedience and abiding in love. If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love, even as I have kept my Father's commandments and abide in his love. He said, I was obedient. And he wants his own to be obedient. There is obedience associated with abiding. Verse eleven. He says something else, These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full. What does this mean? It simply means that fullness of joy is the result of abiding and obeying. Abiding in Christ and obeying. Then you know something of the fullness of his joy, not just a little trickle, But the fullness of his joy, can you conceive, of the joy of the Lord Jesus Christ? It was never disturbed. My joy, he says, shall be in you, and that joy will be full. And then he goes on further in verse twelve, and he says, This is my commandment, that ye love one another, as I have loved you. Here you have abiding. This is love divine. I don't love some people naturally. But if they're a child of God, I've got to love them with love divine. The same love with God has loved me, our country's loved him. Sometimes it's pretty hard. There are some things that prevent that love. a single discipline and behavior. Then you come to another thing in verse thirteen, and this is beautiful. Greater love hath no man than this, than a man lay down his life for his friend. You notice previously some of the greater things. Here you have greater love. Remember what was said concerning Nathaniel. The Lord says, Nathaniel, thou shalt see greater things than these. A greater vision, you'll see greater things. Then we noticed earlier, greater works than these shall ye do greater works. I'm not sure you have greater love in this thing. Greater love has no man than did, for the man laid down his life for his friends. But the Lord Jesus laid down his life, life for his enemies. So how we are going to appraise that love? It's easy for a man, by comparison, to lay down his life for his friends. Many a parent said, I would have died for my child. But you're not going to die for an enemy. He did. We were all enemies. Enemies in our hearts, like Richard were. The men drank their wealth. Moses, what did he do? He esteemed the reproaches of Christ, greater riches than all the treasures of Egypt, and they were considerable. So you have greater vision, greater work, greater love, and greater wealth, all in knowing, abiding in, and obeying the Lord Jesus Christ. And in verses fifteen and sixteen, The subject comes to friendship. Henceforth I call you not servants, but the servant, Lord, not what if Lord doeth. But I have called you friends, for all things that I have heard, and by far that I have made known unto you. No master who has a servant, I don't care how loyal he is, could call him in, and tell the servant a lot to the secrets of the business. That remains for the family. Here you see true friendship, and he says, I'm your friend. I've cut nothing back. You're more than a servant. You're my friend, and I can confide in you. He's a friend that's thicker, closer than a brother. True servant, thus rendered, in the atmosphere of friendship, it abides forever. Now we come to the third and a very solemn... change in this chapter, and it's the grim prediction. And I want you to notice these very solemn words, verses eighteen, down to twenty. If the world hates you, do you know that it hated me? Of course it hated you. If ye were of the world, the world would love his own. But because you are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hates of you. You'll notice in reading these passages from later on, six times he's referring to the world, and you's referring to his own. And nine times in these verses, if you read the whole remainder of the chapter, nine times he uses the word hate, hate. Hate, and twice persecution. Strange, isn't it? Hate and persecution. Why should God's people receive hate and persecution from the world? Well, there's a lot of reasons, and we'll point them out. This chapter is full of sharp contrast. He speaks of light and darkness, life and death, right and wrong, truth, and error, God and Satan, church, and the world. Those who are saved, who abide in Christ and bear fruit, and are true witnesses, are going to be hated, and they're going to be persecuted. Make no mistake about the Lord is pointing it out here in very clear, stark language. The world hasn't changed. What's he talking about when he's talking about the world? All those who are not saved are the world. And the world is composed of two classes. Those who do not know Christ and those who do know Christ. The world is just the same. You can't change it. Just as it was when Adam and Eve sinned and today. The church can't spiritualize the world. we're trying to evangelize it, but the world can carnalize the church. And that's the trouble today. The church is not spiritualizing the world, but the world is carnalizing the church, making the church carnal. More like the world. The world of God sees it is just all those who are not in the church of the firstborn whose names are written in heaven according to Hebrews twelve twenty three in other words all those were not on the narrow way if you're not on the narrow way that lead us unto life you are classified as being in the world husband and wife one is saved the other is not one is on the narrow way going to heaven, the others on the broad way going to hell. One is in the world, the other is in Christ. Different company, isn't it? According to Scripture, the world is described as the broad way. Not the animal world. He's not talking about the animal world. Nor the bird creation. Nor the beast creation. Nor material creation. The rocks and so forth. Not even plant life. He's talking about human life. The word. The world. And he's mentioning in it here himself. The world. The world who can hate. Can persecute. And have some kind. of love. The broad way the world goes from the one extreme on the left that includes the atheist, the moral derelict, the beast like man like Stalin and Hitler, to the extreme right where you have the religious, the model, the pious, the clean, the honest, the respected, the do-gooder, the sincere, the loving father, the loving mother, the faithful wife, the faithful husband. That's the Broadway. That's the world without Christ. Lord, I can say this. If Jesus Christ were to come this very minute, it would prove that classification. If Jesus Christ were to come this moment, all those who are in Christ would be caught up. permit the Lord in the air, or all those who are in the world would be left behind. Of what I am telling you from the Bible would be demonstrated. Those on the broadway going to destruction, right to left, all across that broadway. Today there are those on the extreme right, the religious, the refined, the culture, the educated. They wouldn't rub shoulders with even those in the middle of the broadway, let alone those on the extreme left. What says Christ at all on the Broadway? Only those on the Nathaway are going up their glory. And I'll tell you, don't let anybody tell you the majority of people are going to heaven. They're certainly not. They're going to hell, according to the Bible. There were, oh, I don't know what the population of the world was when the Lord was here, but he says, fear not, little flock. For the Father's good pleasure did you, the kingdom. Those who are saved in the minority, those who are lost are in the majority. Before the flood, or you might say after the flood took place, Noah and his family were the majority. But before the flood they were in the minority. Before the flood there were just eight. In all that afternoon you ate, they were in the minority. After the flood they were in the majority. All the world had been destroyed, lost. Just a Christian is in the minority today. When Jesus comes and takes them out, the world will be in the majority. the most of the human race left behind for judgment. I wonder if you realize these solemn facts that are in your Bible. I think it was in the days of Thomas Carlyle, the old British sage, a lady of distinction got up and she addressed a certain sunk function, social function, and she said this. If Jesus Christ came to London today, he would be treated as was, he would not be treated as Jesus was treated in Jerusalem. Rather, he would be treated with all kinds of enthusiasm, a great wealth. And to endorse that, he turned to old Thomas Carlyle, the old sage, to get his reaction to that remark. Old Carlisle said, No, madam, in his rasped voice. He says they would take Jesus Christ out the new gate and hang him. He says human nature hasn't changed. He said the folk came here a while ago and got a lot of wealth. You let Jesus Christ come back and teach what he taught. And they do the same thing away with this man, who would not have this man to reign over us. That's true. Human nature has not changed, not for a minute. Then why do you have this hatred in the world? There is no cause for it, as you add in verse twenty-five, but this come of the past that the world's word might be fulfilled, that is written in their law. They hated me without a call. Yet they hated the Lord Jesus. He was sinless. He was foolish. He was undefiled. He was separate from sinners. He went about doing good, healing all the repests of the devil for God was with him. He never did anyone any harm. He fed the hungry, healed the sick. All his life was that of a benefactor. And yet they hid him. And mail him to a cross. For what cause? He says, they hated me without a call. Isn't that strange? Why does the world today hate Christians? Why are they put to death in some country? They hate Christians, out and out Christians in Russia. They'll tolerate it until now because of public opinion changing. They're lowering the bars a little, but down in their hearts they hate them. Why do they hate them? Christians down the centuries, if you read church history, have been the best of subjects. They obey the law. They're honest. They don't steal. They've never hurt a government. And yet the government has put many of them to death. Why? Because they love Jesus Christ. Can you explain? Well, that's true. Just to show that the natural heart hasn't seen. And the Bible says that the natural heart is at enmity with God. The human heart doesn't like God. Hope it is fair. I love Him. If you love Jesus Christ, Are you born again? Do you have everlasting life? Well, you say, no, I can't say that. Then you don't know. If you did, you didn't see them. That's what the Bible says. And he that is not with me is against me. There's no neutral ground. You either love Jesus Christ because you found him as your Savior, or you hate him. Or you'll come out and say you hate him. You're in that classification. If you're not a born-again Christian, you're in the work. That's what the Bible says. Only so his words and his works condemned the people of his day. And it was the religious people of his day that hated them the most. Strange enough. They saw his works. They couldn't find fault with it. In fact, every time the Lord Jesus left somebody, they opened their eyes or healing him. It aggravated the Pharisees that much more. They should have rejoiced. Here's a man, and he's blessing the people. He's feeding the hungry. He's raising the fish. He's opening their eyes. This is wonderful. Every time he did that, these tribes and parishes got together, whispering, how they could put them to death? What do you put them to death for? He's a blessing. Just because we don't like some of the things he says, or what he says hits us, we don't like it. They hated them without a cause. Why do, and why does the world hate Christians today, it's simply because they take and side with Jesus Christ, and they cast in their lock with him? That's it. They take and side with Jesus Christ against the world. They cast their lock in with Christ. When you were one with all the rest of the folks in that office and you went in and you could carry on the same conversation and listen to the smutty joke or tell someone, you were ready to listen to and run along with all what was going on in there, profane language being used. But you accepted Jesus Christ and you went in. And he said, you know, something happened to me last night. I accepted Christ as my Savior. I know my sins are forgiven. I'm on my way to heaven. And I'm going to live for Christ. My past life is gone. You'll be a lone ranger from then on. The rest in that hour. Yes. He's gone off. No, she hasn't. She's just got her senses. For it's a wise man and woman who accepts Christ. That's it. That was true of the Lord Jesus. No one was as wise as he. No one was as true and honest as he. Yet they hated him. They hated him because of his words and because of his work. And because his followers cast in their loft with Jesus Christ, they persecuted his followers who are doing it today. A true born-again Christian can be persecuted in his own family, the Bible says. A man's foes can be made of his own household. If you're the born-again Christian and the rest of the family is not, You've got to keep to a stand and you'll pay the price. Hatred and persecution. Many places they'll tolerate this. But they don't see the light that you've got. Why? It shows up what they don't have. Why did King hate his brother Abel? Because his own work for evil and his brother's righteousness. Isn't that right? That's what the Bible says. That's where I believe. And you know, they don't like to have the quote torn off their face. No one does like that. No one likes that. But that's what the Lord did on this occasion. I think we point that out in verse twenty-three. It says in verse twenty-three, if I had not come and spoken unto them, they had not had sinned. But now they have no quote for their sin. And when someone comes along and tells us something, or if you had never heard about Jesus Christ, if you had never heard about being born, if you had never heard about being born again, rather, you had never heard about these wonderful things, you couldn't be accused of refusing him and rejecting him. But when you heard these things, and says the Lord, I came. I told them what they were, that their righteousness was a filthy right. I told them they were not saved. I told them the law wouldn't save them, and all the literal and sacrifices was of no avail in salvation. I stole what they were. I took the mask off their face, and instead of thanking me, they hated me. He says, they have no hope now for their sin. They've been brought face to face with the blazing truth, and it's too bright. You take them to mask off. They've got no cloak now for their sins. People don't like to have their cloak taken off and let them see what they really are before God. Well, that was true of the Lord Jesus Christ when he was here. They hated him without a call. That's why the world doesn't like Christians today. Oh, you can be a church member and just live like the world and you're okay. You can go along with a crowd and be an officer in the church, the Deke and Druid or what have you. You can even be a preacher. If you go along with a social crowd, you won't suppose you're a fine fellow. But you turn around and tell in their loft and go in the hell and need to be born again, and boy, you can be shunned like a plague. The world doesn't like born-again people. They don't like those who are living for Christ. The world doesn't like righteousness. They thought it wrong. They're wrong. the world's law, and they don't like what right is because the righteousness reveals and exposes and condemns the right. Isn't that something? What is a Christian to do when the world persecutes them, hates them? Well, I'll tell you one thing, don't pity yourself if the world hates you and persecutes you. Pity them, for they know not God. Does anyone persecute you and hate you because you are a born-again Christian, you are seeking for the health of God and liberty. Don't pity yourself.Pity them. What does the Bible say over in Matthew five, ten, twelve? Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are ye when men shall revile you and persecute you, and say all manner of evil against you, falsely for my sake, rejoice, and be exceeding glad for great is your reward in heaven. For so persecute a day the prophet was where before them? So now our final point at the end of this chapter is a gracious ministry. verses twenty-six, but when the comforter, how sad that verse twenty-five ends they hated me without a cause. But that's a wonderful part. But when the comforter has come whom I will send of you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify unto me, and ye also shall be a witness, because you have been with me from the Spirit of God. The comforter is coming. Never mind the persecution, the hatred, the resentment. The comforter, if you want to come, is take up as opposed within your heart, and when the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord will lift up a standard against him. That little word, but, is very significant. It indicates a change of thought. You know, how far sooner, long times when I go to Canada and I get on highways suddenly, when I can go right up to Detroit and just have a block of two to go, they can own the camera. Well, it's the same old thing that sometimes that monotonous, I almost go to sleep. A straight highway is not very interesting. But when you get off some time and make some turn, and I like that. Because each time you make a turn, you see something new. When you make that turn, what? You see, why? Here's a lovely hillside, a nice house and flowers around. I wouldn't have seen that if I had stayed on the Great Highlands. And you come to another turn, and what do you see? Something new. Here's a lovely lake, the surrounding cottages. And then you download, make another turn, you get another vision. Lovely little village with a church fire gleaming in the sun. You go along and make another turn. There's a great park with a lot of lovely flower gardens. Yes. You've seen a lot, haven't you? I've got a new view at every turn. The first view in this subject, and I'm going to quote a number of bucks, a neutral concept for the wages of sin is death. The gift of God is eternal life. Isn't that a nice turn in the road? You're going down the road condemned under the sentence of death to reap the wages of sin and you come to a turn in the road and you see Christ, a new vision. The gift of God is eternal life, the gift of Christ. Oh, what a new look, a new vision. Something new has gone on your soul. You've seen something. The gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. You come to a second birth, and it's a new communion that you have. Ye were without God, without Christ in the world. What? And now you're in Christ, which says there are golden Ephesians two, in Christ Jesus, ye who are sometimes a fallout on me, fall off on me, die by the blood of Christ. Isn't this a nice new view? You say the first turn, now you find you have a new communion. You're in Christ, you're in a new fellowship. You're along now, not with the world. Business to Christians, but all who are in Christ's peace. And while you enjoy that for a while, you come to another turn, another but. And this is a new comfort. Christ said, Peter, Satan hath desired thee that it may shift thee as weep. But I have prayed for thee that thy faith fail not. Isn't this a comfort? that the sun went up in heaven. You're going dry. And Satan's got you in his sieve. And then it dawns on you. The Lord says, I've prayed for you. Isn't that nice? But? But I have prayed for you. Says one of God's right hands. Praying every moment of every day for you. That you'll come out of the sieve with the chaff gone. You'll come out clean or weak. And then you go down to those, and mull over that for a while, and you make another turn. And here you have a new companion, and he was brought it in our text in the last part there of twenty-six. It says at the beginning of verse twenty-six, but you come from hate in verse twenty-five, but is a lovely turn, when the comforter is come. Now a new vision opens up. You've got a comforter. You've got one who'll abide with you forever. You're sealed by the Holy Spirit of God until the day of redemption. When sorrow comes, you've got someone to comfort you. When you're passing through stress and strain, there's someone to give you strength. When you come from where you don't know which turn to take, you've got to guide the Holy Spirit. will be your guide and he never loses his way. He'll instruct you. Isn't this a wonderful companion? The Holy Spirit. And also you have a new confidence. What's the new confidence? Over in Peter, the grass river, the flower thereof faded away. What? He says, the word of the Lord endures forever. That's a nice turn in it. The last turn is eternal thing. The last turn in the road. You see everything else withering drying up. The grass withering, that's man. The flower of David, that's man at his best. This is withering. But the word of the Lord. abidest, endurance, whatever. Purified turns in a lovely journey. Have you gotten the first turn? The butt of salvation, the grave of sin is death, but the gift of God's eternal life to Jesus Christ our Lord. And these other turns are wonderful turns. the turns of the butt, the changes life course, the changes our thought, even changes our attitude, and the last is best of all. The word of the Lord, a pride of forever. What he said shall come to pass, and it can't be stopped, hindered, was changed or prevented. What I've told you this morning is eternal truth. And if you think I'm wrong, one second after you die will convince you I'm right. Because I've given you what this book says, and Christ says, the words that I speak unto you shall judge you in the last day. Will you come to Christ? If you come this morning, if you come now, God help you, please. Shall we pray? Our Father in heaven, in the name of our Lord Jesus, will come into thy presence. We thank thee for this holy privilege of preaching thy word. Thou hast given us these true, solemn, the church and the world, Thou dost she but the two companies, the one and the minority, the other the majority, and thou art with the minority. Holy Father, we thank thee for everyone here this morning who knows the Lord she. He has cast in his or her lot with him the ultimate end of this companionship, this relationship. It is a delighting and reign with him forever. Remember those who are on the broadway. Whether they like it or whether they don't, this is what thou dost say at thine estimate. But on the broadway, going to destruction. The eternal burden. This is what thy word says. May they think it over, act upon it, and come to Christ, we ask it, in his worthy and precious name. Amen.