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Book: John
 Print ( PC Only )
John 16:1-
I. "These things have I spoken."
A. What things?
1. You are going to be hated by the world.
2. You will be persecuted.
B. Why did He tell them these things?
1. So that they would not be stumbled or offended when it
happened.
2. He did not want these things to catch them off guard.
C. For the most part the disciples were expecting the kingdom to
be set up at any moment.
1. They were expecting positions of glory and honor in the
world.
2. They were even disputing among themselves as to just
which one of them would be the greatest.
D. Basically Jesus is saying that the road will lead to glory, but
that if would not be a glory road.
1. You are going to be persecuted and hated, not honored
and loved.
2. Many people have false expectations of the Christian
life.
E. We are living in a world that is in rebellion against God.
1. Men have chosen the life of the flesh over the will of
God.
2. I think that the recent elections have amply proved
this.
F. Somehow we are still shocked by man's deliberate choice of
evil.
1. I somehow feel that given the choice of good or evil
that good would be the overwhelming choice.
2. History shows that this is not the case, never has
been.
3. The world hated Jesus and still does.
4. They put Jesus to death and millions of His followers.
5. I am shocked at the sale of Madonna's book on sex.
6. I am shocked at the broad acceptance of the
s.
7. I am shocked that the s can launch a full
scale attack against the Boy Scouts of America, and the
whole nation not rise up in righteous indignation.
8. Jesus speaks of those who say concerning Him, "We will
not have this man to reign over us."
G. How can these things be?
1. The Bible speaks of Satan bringing a strong delusion.
2. It speaks of the god of this world blinding their eyes
so that they cannot see.
3. Satan is in control of the world and the kingdoms of
this world.
a. He offered to give them to Jesus.
b. He will give them to the anti-christ.
II. "They will put you out of the synagogues, the time will come when they
that kill you will think that they are doing God a service."
A. We were already told in the story of the man who was healed by
Jesus who was born blind, that the Jews had determined that
anyone who confessed that Jesus was the Messiah would be put
out of the synagogue.
1.This to a Jew was equivalent to being excommunicated.
2. It was tantamount to being cut off from God.
3. We are told that there were many who believed on Jesus
yet secretly for fear of the Jews.
B. Paul in persecuting the church felt that he was pleasing God.
1. As he was speaking of his credits as a Jew he declared,
"Concerning zeal, persecuting the church."
2. We wonder at just how blind and deceived people can be.
3. Jesus said that if the blind are leading the blind,
both of them will fall into the ditch.
C. In the Sermon on the Mount Jesus said, "Blessed are you 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 so persecuted they the prophets that were before
you."
III. "And these things will they do unto you."
A. He is not saying that they might do these things, but that they
will do these things.
1. The book of Acts records for us the death of Stephen at
the hands of those religious leaders in the Jewish
council.
2. Acts also tells us that Herod Agrippa stretched out his
hand against the church and had James who was the
brother of John, beheaded. An early church writer
Clemens Alexandrinus tell us that as James was led to
the place of his execution, that his accuser was
brought to repentance by the extraordinary courage and
undauntedness of James and fell at his feet requesting
his pardon. He made a profession of faith in Jesus and
was beheaded with James.
3. Philip was scourged, thrown in prison and afterward
crucified.
4. Matthew carried the gospel to Parthia, and Ethiopia,
and in Ethiopia he suffered martyrdom being slain with
a halbred in the city of Nadabah.
5. James the less who wrote the epistle called after his
name, at the age of 94 was beat and stoned by the Jews,
and finally had his brains dashed out with a fullers
club.
6. Matthias was stoned at Jerusalem and beheaded.
7. Andrew was crucified on a cross, the two ends of which
were fixed transversely in the ground. Hence the name
St. Andrews cross.
8. Mark was dragged to pieces by the people of Alexandria,
at the great solemnity of Serapis their idol.
9. Peter was condemned to death and crucified according to
some early writers at Rome. Jerome tells us that Peter
requested to be crucified with his feet up and his head
down as he was not worthy to be crucified as his Lord.
10. Paul was led by the Roman soldiers outside of Rome to
the place of his execution, where after prayers he
gave his neck to the sword.
11. Jude was crucified at Edessa.
12. Bartholomew carred the gospel to several countries, he
translated the gospel of Matthew into the language of
India, there he was cruelly beaten and crucified.
13. Thomas carried to gospel to Parthia and India, where
he so aroused the pagan priests that they thrust him
through with a spear.
14. Luke was said to have been hanged on an olive tree by
the idolatrous priests of Greece.
15. Simon Zelotes preached the gospel in Africa, and even
in Britain, where he was crucified.
16. John was cast into a cauldron of boiling oil. When he
escaped by a miracle without injury, Domition then
banished him to the Isle of Patmos.
B. Why will they do these things. Because they know not the
Father, nor Me.
C. The true church of Jesus Christ has suffered persecution
through the years, and most of the persecution has come from
religious zealots. Paul said concerning the Jews that they had
a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge.
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